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. 2 We boarded a ship… 8 We moved along the coast
with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
9 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
No comments:
Post a Comment