I Will Give You Words And Wisdom

I WILL GIVE YOU WORDS AND WISDOM

a prayer to open

Holy Spirit, come. Center my heart.

Fill my mind. Guide my steps.

Five days later Ananias, the high priest, arrived with some of the Jewish elders and the lawyer Tertullus, to present their case against Paul to the governor. When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented the charges against Paul in the following address to the governor:

“You have provided a long period of peace for us Jews and with foresight have enacted reforms for us. For all of this, Your Excellency, we are very grateful to you. But I don’t want to bore you, so please give me your attention for only a moment. We have found this man to be a troublemaker who is constantly stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes. Furthermore, he was trying to desecrate the Temple when we arrested him. You can find out the truth of our accusations by examining him yourself.” Then the other Jews chimed in, declaring that everything Tertullus said was true.

The governor then motioned for Paul to speak. Paul said, “I know, sir, that you have been a judge of Jewish affairs for many years, so I gladly present my defense before you. You can quickly discover that I arrived in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago to worship at the Temple. My accusers never found me arguing with anyone in the Temple, nor stirring up a riot in any synagogue or on the streets of the city. These men cannot prove the things they accuse me of doing.

“But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets. I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous. Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people.

“After several years away, I returned to Jerusalem with money to aid my people and to offer sacrifices to God. My accusers saw me in the Temple as I was completing a purification ceremony. There was no crowd around me and no rioting. But some Jews from the province of Asia were there—and they ought to be here to bring charges if they have anything against me! Ask these men here what crime the Jewish high council found me guilty of, except for the one time I shouted out, ‘I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!’”

Once the Roman army had removed Paul from Jerusalem and settled him in Herod’s palace in Caesarea, he had five days before being called before the governor, Antonius Felix. As Paul responded to the charges brought by the high priest’s lawyer, he was unreasonably calm. He methodically and clearly set forth the facts with little apparent emotion or fear. How was this possible? Perhaps Luke, during his time traveling with Paul, had shared these words of Jesus: “Make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict” (Luke 21:14-15, NIV).

• Read today’s Scripture again. What word or phrase stands out to you? Sit quietly, reminding yourself that you are in God’s loving presence, and ask him to show you how that word or phrase connects to your life.
• What do you worry about most? Why? What is the insecurity or fear underneath the worry?
• How do you cope with your worry when it arises? What brings comfort? What perpetuates the worry? What do you want to say to God about your worry and whatever underlies it? Write out a prayer and ask him for what you desire and for relief from your worry.

Father, your Word is filled with passages about your peace and your presence in the midst of hardship, pain, and sickness, yet I don’t always feel or access your peace. I worry about the unknown, what my future holds, and those I love. Remind me that all these things are in your hands, you love me, and my future is secure in you in heaven. Help me to release my grip on those I love and to entrust them to you. I want to be free of all worry and anxiety. Lead me. Amen.