Thursday, July 16, 2020

Thursday Devotional - Words and Warnings Ignored


Have you ever felt led to boldly speak up about something, but it didn’t seem to make a difference or have an impact?

I felt like that recently. In an outside organization, we needed to fill a particular position. As I was praying about it one night, God brought someone to mind. I mentioned it at my next meeting, including the reasons why they might be a good fit. However, no one else seemed led in that direction or even willing to consider them.   

I wonder if Paul felt ignored over and over again. Not only did he not seem to get anywhere when he talked in front of the Jews, Felix, Festus and Agrippa, but his warning about sailing to Rome was ignored, too!
Acts 27:1-2a, 8-11   When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. We boarded a ship…We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, 10 “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.
As we’ve talked before, we aren’t responsible for convincing people. We are responsible for being obedient to speak when and what God says. The results are left to Him. He may have different purposes for what He leads us to say. If you read the rest of chapter 27, you’ll see how God used Paul’s warning to give him credibility when disaster did strike.   

When have you prayerfully spoken up and seemingly been ignored? Let’s trust the results to God. Instead of throwing our hands up and getting frustrated, lets continue to pray about any future words or actions that would align with His plans and purposes.

Alice

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