The Providence Of God

THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD

a prayer to open

Holy Spirit, come. Center my heart.

Fill my mind. Guide my steps.

The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. . . . They went to the leading priests and elders and told them, “We have bound ourselves with an oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul. So you and the high council should ask the commander to bring Paul back to the council again. Pretend you want to examine his case more fully. We will kill him on the way.”

But Paul’s nephew . . . heard of their plan and went to the fortress and told Paul. Paul called for one of the Roman officers and said, “Take this young man to the commander. He has something important to tell him.”

So the officer did, explaining, “Paul, the prisoner, called me over and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”

The commander took his hand, led him aside, and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?”

Paul’s nephew told him, “Some Jews are going to ask you to bring Paul before the high council tomorrow, pretending they want to get some more information. But don’t do it! There are more than forty men hiding along the way ready to ambush him. They have vowed not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him. They are ready now, just waiting for your consent.”

“Don’t let anyone know you told me this,” the commander warned the young man.

Then the commander called two of his officers and ordered, “Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o’clock tonight. Also take 200 spearmen and 70 mounted troops. Provide horses for Paul to ride, and get him safely to Governor Felix.” Then he wrote this letter to the governor:

“From Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings!

“This man was seized by some Jews, and they were about to kill him when I arrived with the troops. When I learned that he was a Roman citizen, I removed him to safety. Then I took him to their high council to try to learn the basis of the accusations against him. I soon discovered the charge was something regarding their religious law—certainly nothing worthy of imprisonment or death. But when I was informed of a plot to kill him, I immediately sent him on to you. I have told his accusers to bring their charges before you.”

So that night, as ordered, the soldiers took Paul as far as Antipatris. They returned to the fortress the next morning, while the mounted troops took him on to Caesarea. When they arrived in Caesarea, they presented Paul and the letter to Governor Felix.

Some would call the fact that Paul’s nephew heard about the plot to kill Paul a coincidence: He just happened to be in the right place at the right time. But given that he overheard news of the plot the morning after Jesus told Paul he would testify in Rome, it seems more like providence: a special orchestration of events by God that resulted in Paul being transported out of Jerusalem and one step closer to Rome. Paul must have shaken his head with wonder when his nephew reported what he’d heard. Do we see all the ways God protects and provides for us? Are our eyes open to his movement?

• Read this passage 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.
• Reflect on a time when you experienced a stunning coincidence. What happened? How did that experience make you feel?
• How open do you think you are to seeing God’s movement and presence in your everyday life? What things catch your attention as evidence of him? How do you respond to those things when you see them?

Father, thank you that you are active in my life and in this world even when I am not aware or fail to notice. I want to be able to recognize when you are at work and align with what you’re doing. Give me eyes to see where you orchestrate events for your purposes. Give me hands that respond when you call me to act, and a heart that is open and willing to follow you even when it’s hard and I don’t see the path ahead. Amen.