The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” (Acts 23:11)
I have a word of great comfort for you today, which is rooted in the passage from which today’s verse was taken. The apostle Paul was in harm’s way after having confronted the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. The uproar was so fierce that the Roman guard needed to take Paul away and put him in the barracks for his own protection. Some of the religious leaders were plotting to kill Paul, but the angel of the Lord assured Paul that he was surrounded by “Divine Protection,” because God was not finished with him yet. And the same is true for you and me!
The Bible makes it clear that we are all immortal until our work is done. God’s purposes will be accomplished, and nothing and no one will stand in His way. It mattered not that the corrupt religious leaders had conspired to kill the apostle Paul. In fact, the narrative tells us that “more than forty men were involved in this plot” (Acts 23:13). Forty men were no match for God, because God had more work for Paul to do. The whole world could have taken its stand against Paul, but they were utterly impotent to do anything to Paul while Omnipotence still had plans for him.
Make no mistake, when you work for your Lord is done, He will usher you into His eternal presence along with all the saints of God. But that will not happen one moment before you have completed your assignment here on earth. So as the angel of the Lord said to Paul, “Take courage,” because God is not finished with you yet! As an ambassador for the Almighty, your safe passage is guaranteed while you are fulfilling your service for your Savior.
As a disciple of Jesus, you have been called to testify to the truth. Every child of God has been given the assignment of participating in the expansion of the kingdom of God. Do you believe that something is keeping you from fulfilling your calling? Take courage! The Lord is standing right by your side every step of the way into glory, and He has promised never to leave you nor forsake you. So be at peace as you participate in the greatest work that can be done on this side of the grave – witnessing for Jesus Christ.
Let this truth sink in and ultimately set you free: He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion, regardless of the cost or circumstances you face, and that’s because He who is in you is greater than the one who is in this world. No weapon formed can keep you from finishing the work God has set before you to do because you, like Paul, are surrounded by Divine Protection.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 