I'm a planner.

And I love it when all goes as planned. But how often does that happen? I mean, let's get real... life gets in the way, and interruptions happen. Just take laundry, for instance. Unless I want to keep hitting the button to 'refresh' the load in the dryer so I can fold the warm clothes later, I'm going to have to stop what I'm doing when that buzzer goes off. I'm going to have to take orders from an appliance and interrupt the plan I made that day.

Even if my plan includes laundry.

I still get irritated when it keeps me from the flow of finishing something more important I started on my to-do list. So I typically use it as an excuse later if I don't accomplish all that's on my list. Because, I'll be honest, I'm not always as focused as I should be.

But God is determined.

And He has a plan for the whole world, as it says in our verse today. Wow! That blows my mind. I mean, I can barely plan my day for just me... and get it all done. But here is God, who has had a plan for the whole world for all of eternity. And He is DETERMINED to accomplish it. And no one can thwart Him.

Because He has a purpose.

And God's purpose's are good toward us. And no matter what people on earth do... no matter what evil they conjure or how far they wander from God, He will still accomplish His purpose. Because He is MIGHTY.

Here, let's consider what Luke wrote in the book of Acts...
You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“‘Why do the nations rage
    and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
against the Lord
    and against his anointed one.
Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.
They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 
Acts 4:25-28 NIV

The hand of God is powerful.

God's going to accomplish His good purposes toward us, no matter what. And He can use even the most wrong-hearted people to finish His to-do list. To Him, they're probably just like that annoying laundry buzzer. His hand is mighty... so He stops to fold, no big deal. God will get His way. He will finish. And His purpose and plan is good.

Won't you trust Him today?

No matter what is going on in the news? No matter what you think of this leader or that social pressure? God is still sitting securely on His throne. He's not ruffled or upset by what He sees. Nothing's 'news' to Him. He can work all things for good with His capable hand. 

And His hand is over you today.

You know those times when you find yourself in a jam... when even your best intentions got you stuck in a bad position? What a relief when help finally comes!

So the last thing you want to do is go back to a place where you could get stuck all over again, right? But what if an angel told you to?

For that's what happened to Peter and John.
They continued to preach about the death and resurrection of Jesus in the temple complex even when the teachers of the law had warned them not to. So they got arrested and thrown in jail.

But somehow without the notice of anyone else, an angel opened the door, releasing them with instructions to go back to the temple... and tell the people about this life.

It's pretty clear these guys had never seen a jail-break movie because they do exactly as the angel says. They don't even consider making a run for it. 

It would seem that when God wants to be Our Open Door, releasing us from what binds, His intention is that we openly use it to tell others about the life it brings us, the freedom found in it. Even though it's possible that it may bring persecution and trouble. 

But I guess if He sent one angel, He can certainly send another. It's not like God is short on angels or open doors. And He wants us to realize that His word of life has more meaning when we boldly return to the scene of the crime and share it from our personal experience. 

Thank You, Lord for being Our Open Door of opportunity. Let us enter in boldly to tell others about this life You gave, so that we could live.

Don't you hate it when you think of something clever to say, but the moment has passed? You wish you had been quicker, sharper, wittier?

If I'm honest in those moment, all too often I realize it's just me wanting to impress others. Then I read about people like Peter and John who made a real impact, who had something amazing to say at just the right moment... and said it.

In the depth of my heart, that too is my desire. But does my prayer life truly reflect it?

The early church was started by the apostles of Jesus. These were the eye-witnesses of His life, death and resurrection. They were convinced and convicted to spend the rest of their lives telling and re-telling His story to spread the good news, even if it meant persecution.

And their prayer life showed it.
​
When they were threatened... like literally threatened, by rulers who could imprison and put them to death for such, they prayed all the more for boldness and the hand of God to show wondrous signs.

When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.
Acts 4:31 HCSB

How I desire this boldness as well.
How I desire to be like these.

So what holds me back?
I'm not persecuted for my faith.
What are my threats?

Could they be the doubts in my mind which tell me I'm not good enough? Could they be the daily distractions of a life I've built too busy? Could they be the wrong influences I allow to cloud my vision like social media feeds and binge watching?

Lord, consider these... my threats, and grant that I can serve as Your slave. Help me to speak Your message with complete boldness, while You stretch out Your hand for healing, signs, and wonders to be performed through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus. Let the place where I stand be shaken, let me be filled with Your Holy Spirit and begin to speak Your message with boldness.

I wish I could tell you
that life was just a string
of sunshiny days...
one after another with
smooth sailing through life.

But once we decide to leave
the safety of the shore,
we soon find that out for ourselves.

Whether we spring a leak
in the hull of the boat
and our finances drain away, or
the tempest winds will simply
not stop tossing us to and fro
in the working world of
"gotta-be-on-top."

Life has a way of telling us
that what we thought about
control, was simply a prideful
and childish dream.

But some of us take a little longer
to wake up than others.

And our friend Paul often found
himself surrounded by many of
those late bloomers.

When we join him today,
he is still a prisoner, two years after
the Commander lifted him from
the angry mob of Jerusalem.

Captive to the system,
he waited for justice as rulers
delayed judgement, simply because
they were intimidated by the
Jewish High Council.

Until finally, Paul pleaded
for an appeal to Caesar.
So off to Rome he went,
But this voyage would be
nothing but smooth sailing.

Paul was certain, early in the
voyage, that this ship would not
make it to it's destinaton.
He was one of many prisoners
and warned the officer in charge.
But why would he listen to
a convict aboard?

After fourteen days of tossing
and turning at sea, many began
to realize that maybe this Paul
had some wise advice for them.

Just as day was dawning,
Paul urged everyone to eat.
“You have been so worried
that you haven’t touched food
for two weeks,” he said.
“Please eat something now
for your own good.
For not a hair of your
heads will perish.”

Then he took some bread,
gave thanks to God
before them all, and
broke off a piece and ate it.
Then everyone was encouraged
and began to eat...
all 276 of us who were on board.
After eating, the crew lightened
the ship further by throwing
the cargo of wheat overboard.
Acts 27:33-38 NLT
​
Paul's advice was, of course,
given to those tossed about
in a sea of troubled waters.

Men so worried, working so hard
to keep the ship afloat and steered
on course, that they never stopped
to eat, nor care for themselves.

But how true this advice is for us,
when we are tossed about
by life's storms... no matter the size.

Oftentimes, we get so focused
on the problems and circumstances
that surround, and all that we can do
to fix them, we forget to stop
and nourish ourselves in God.

We neglect our relationship
with the One true Helper
who can give us more strength
and support for the journey
than any other thing will do.

I know this...
because I've been there.

I've tried desperately
to do my job, take care of my family,
keep my house and budget afloat...
all by myself.

And as much as I'd like to pridefully
say that I'm wonderwoman
and can do it all...
I just can't.

Because even on the sunniest day
it's too much for me.

And let a storm roll in and I'm sunk.
That's when I begin to start
throwing things overboard
to lighten the load...
sometimes things that are
necessary for the jouney.

But I can't make right decisions,
not really wise ones...
unless I'm nourished and fed.
Not on junk food from the world,
which looks at life from the outside,
but by the One who has a greater
perspective on my life than me.

God can see all that I have
and don't have.
God can see the storm coming
way before it hits.
And God can be the calm 
in the middle of it,
if I will just take the time to
humble myself and listen.

Paul clung to that ship,
tossed about at sea,
the winds raging, the waves
spilling over the sides and
he saw the fear in their eyes
even though they never stopped
working to stay afloat.

“You have been so worried 
that you haven’t touched food 
for two weeks,” he said.
“Please eat something now 
for your own good."

God also sees us hanging on.
He knows our grip is getting weak,
but He doesn't want us to rely
upon the boat to keep us safe.
Rather, our faith to be in Him.

So we need to take Paul's advice...
“Please eat something now 
for your own good."
A bite of God's word,
a simple whispered prayer...
Help, I need You now!
A humbled heart, saying,
I can't do this alone.

God really does want to be
our safe haven in the storm,
and He will guide and direct us,
even giving us wisdom as to
what is the uncesssary load
that we need to toss overboard
to lighten us up for the journey.

But He's waiting on us
to take the time to be nourished
by Him.

And at the risk of mixing metaphors,
if there had been a steward
on Paul's ship...
anyone like a flight attendant
who warns in cas of an emergency,
we ought to put the oxygen mask
first on ourself, then on those
whom we have around us...
this nourishment is much the same.

We can't help those in our family,
or our surrounding circle,
if we aren't being properly fed.

We need to take what God has offered.
There is much more than a snack.
He's actually prepared for us
a meal... a feast,
if we will only take the time.

It's actually ok
to take a lunch break in the storm.

Word of God
train me today...
To lean on, rely upon and be fed by You.

To let go of my tight grip of control
and realize that You want to guide my life
safely to the shore and our of the storm.

We are not that different...
you and I.

Even though I don't know you,
I can say that for a fact.

Two people in a crowd
can find something in common
and become best of friends
if they meet on the right day,
at the right time,
in the right frame of mind.

But bump them into each other
on a hectic day, in the rain,
when they're hungry, running late,
and low on cash, and they might just
find each other as mortal enemies.

Because crowds have a way
of bringing out that pushy, shovey,
anamalistic way in us that can
keep us from seeing connections
and drive us to draw divisions.

And that's where we left Paul...
after rumor turned to riot yesterday.

The people of Jerusalem were
in an uproar, not understanding
who Paul really was, nor what
he preached in truth.
They only focused on the fact
that their strict ways
of following the laws of Moses
were being challenged.

And almost in an encore
performance of the crowds crying
for Jesus to be crucified,
we hear these men shouting
as they beat Paul in the street
seeking his death in anger.

Until the Commander of the guard
chained him and had him carried
overhead toward the barracks.

But just before entering,
Paul requested to have
an audience with the people.
And the Commander
gave him permission.

Paul stood on the stairs and
motioned with his hand to the people.
And when there was a great silence,
he spoke to them in
​the Hebrew language, saying...
Acts 21:40 NKJV

(Please understand this picture,
realizing that the hands Paul is
waving are still chained and he
standing between guards
in the process of being arraested.)

Brethren and fathers,
hear my defense before you now.
And when they heard that
he spoke to them in
the Hebrew language,
they kept all the more silent.
Acts 22:1-2

This the beginning of connection
in the middle of a crowd...
as Paul knows just how
to speak their language.

Then he said:
I am indeed a Jew,
born in Tarsus of Cilicia,
but brought up in this city
at the feet of Gamaliel,
taught according to the strictness
of our fathers’ law, and was zealous
toward God as you all are today.
Acts 22:3

Paul is not just being polite
by introducing himself.
He is very purposely
laying common ground with them.
He wants to connect with them
so if they see him as being
one if them, they may
consider his viewpoint.

These are the commonalities
of the people of this Jerusalem.
And Paul continues as the riotous
crowd has now settled.

And he tells of his former life
as a Pharisee and the many
Christians of the Way whom
he persecuted, imprisoned and
pursued unto their death, even
at a time when he was proud of it.

Now it happened,
as I journeyed and came
near Damascus at about noon,
suddenly a great light from
heaven shone around me.
And I fell to the ground and
heard a voice saying to me,
‘Saul, Saul,
why are you persecuting Me?’

So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’
And He said to me,
‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,
whom you are persecuting.'
Acts 22:6-8

Now this is what I love about Paul.
As a good communicator, after
he hooked them in with all
that he had in common with them,
and even though he knows they have
judged him wrongly with rumor,
now he transitions to tell of the change.

The people in this crowd had
not yet given consideration
to the truths of the gospel
because it meant change.

Change from tradition.
Change from ritual.
Change from comfortable.

And people often resist change.

But Paul knew if they could
see it from his perspective...
once being just like them,
then maybe they would
be more willing to listen
and consider this truth.

After all, Paul knows he was
just as stubborn as they,
until God stopped him in his path...
suddenly a great light from
heaven shone around me,
a blinding light,
a necessary heavenly change.

He tells witness of how God opened
his eyes, even through blindness.
God gave him a taste of a new flavor,
God gave him a view of a new vision,
God gave him a chance at new life.

Blindness allowed him to truly see.
And Paul was hoping that his story
would help change the hearts
of these men as well.

But as he finished telling them
and was coming to the conclusion
of his testimorny, he spoke of a vision
and a word that God gave to him...
Then He said to me,
‘Depart, for I will send you
far from here to the Gentiles.’”

And they. (the crowd) listened to him
until this word, and then
they raised their voices and said,
“Away with such a fellow from
the earth, for he is not fit to live!”
Acts 22:21-22

Seriously?
I mean.... Seriously!
He had them wrapped up in
his testimony until he said the word,
Gentiles.

Talk about a hot button.
And they said,
"He is not fit to live!”

This surely IS a sad bunch!
I know you had hoped for
a better ending than yesterday.

And here, we thought Paul
might escape imprisonment.
Nope!

Paul was taken away in chains,
almost scourged, but spared
when they realized he was
a Roman citizen.

While they didn't whip him,
he was still imprisoned and
made to stand trial
before the High Council.

But you haven't heard the best part.
While he awaits travel to Rome,
he has a visitor...
But the following night
the Lord stood by him and said,
“Be of good cheer, Paul;
for as you have testified for Me
in Jerusalem, so you must also
bear witness at Rome.”
Acts 23:11

I bet no one in that crowd
found the Lord standing by them
in the night encouraging them,
Be of good cheer...

Can you imagine?
The Lord, Himself.
Not an angel sent, but the Lord
came a stood by him to encourage.

Amazing.

Word of God
train me today...
To be a patient and faithful witness for You,
even to those who struggle
​to see the true me.

To know that You will stand beside me
even when the night seems darkest.