Alert And Ready - Paul’s Nephew

Paul’s nephew—his sister’s son—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.”

Acts 23:16-17

Johann Gottlieb Rall was a German colonel in command of Hessian troops in Trenton, New Jersey, during the Revolutionary War. One day, one of Rall’s loyalists brought him an urgent message: General George Washington and his men had crossed the Delaware River that morning and were on their way to attack Trenton.

The spy, who had seen Washington’s forces gathering, was never given access to Rall, so he wrote the important message on a piece of paper, and one of Rall’s porters took it to him. The story says that Rall, playing poker with some of his men, stuffed the message in his pocket without bothering to read it.

In a surprise attack on December 26, 1776, Washington’s men won what is considered a key victory in the Revolutionary War—and mortally wounded Rall.

The Bible counsels us to be alert and ready to move when God gives us a message of blessing, teaching, or warning. The apostle Paul’s nephew saved his uncle’s life because he remained alert and ready to act on what he knew.

God had chosen Paul to speak his message of salvation “to the Gentiles and to kings” (Acts 9:15). As he waited in jail for his opportunity to speak to Caesar, his nephew alerted him and his guards of a plot against his life.

The Bible doesn’t say how Paul’s nephew received this information, only that he acted immediately on what he knew. He kept his head about him and took action as soon as he gained the key information, and God used him to play a part in completing Paul’s divinely appointed mission.

You can’t always anticipate how God will speak to you. He might speak through a miracle, the words of a family member or friend, simple life circumstances, or his written Word. When you remain alert and step out in faith at the opportune time, the Lord can use you to alter the course of history.