Strengthened By My Weakness - The One Year Praying the Promises of God
Strengthened by My Weakness
For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!
Acts 28:30-31 (NIV)
The final chapters of Acts tell a story of complicated intrigue and danger. Paul had concluded a third missionary journey, ending in Jerusalem. There he was attacked by an angry Jewish mob. He was rescued and then held in prison by a Roman governor, until he exercised his right as a Roman citizen to be judged in the emperor’s court. After a treacherous journey Paul arrived in Rome, where for two years he awaited trial, under house arrest in his own rented residence.
Viewed from one perspective, Paul was the victim of one unfair occurrence after another. It seemed that people in opposition to God’s message were able to thwart Paul’s ministry and keep him down.
Viewed from heaven’s perspective, God used the godless plans and intentions of people opposed to his gospel to spread his gospel. His plans cannot be thwarted: Job declared, “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you” (Job 42:2).
Through every page of Scripture, God shows us his ways. He uses everything to work out his own plan, and his purposes will prevail, no matter what the minds of men or women plan. Every one of God’s enemies, though they plot and fight against his people, become the means to God’s end. We are never at the mercy of any person or any circumstance. God is never surprised by any person’s decisions or actions. He has already factored them into his purpose and plan for us.
Father, thank you for your careful attention to the details of my life. Thank you that you are always running the show. Teach me to be so confident in you that my difficult and challenging circumstances are not even a ripple on the still waters.
I am mended by my sickness, enriched by my poverty, and strengthened by my weakness.
Abraham Wright(1611–1690), English pastor and writer
