Acts 18:7-11 (HCSB)
7 So he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed the Lord, along with his whole household; and many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized. 9 Then the Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.”11 And he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
This is a great and encouraging word for us today. Paul appears in Acts only four chapters before this and already he has been:
- Bullied and “expelled” from Pisidian Antioch,
- Barely escaped from a plot to kill him in Iconium,
- Stoned, dragged out of the city and left for dead in Lystra,
- Thrown in prison at Philippi, and
- Attacked by mob and dragged before a judge in Thessalonica.
He also stood up to the “pillars of the faith” – Jesus’ original disciples – in Jerusalem and corrected their theology (chpt. 15). So this is no coward we’re talking about here. Paul is the definition of courage. You wouldn’t think Paul would need encouragement. And yet that is exactly what God gives him.
It is just a reminder today. We ALL need a word from God. And I believe he has one for you. Whether it is a word reminding you that God cares – encouraging you not to give up – letting you know your situation is not beyond his reach – just listen today. Take a moment. Still yourself. Pray: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”
