Enjoy today’s devotion from From Where I Stand: 30 Days in the Life of Paul by Shanna Noel. Let’s learn about and from the life of Paul.
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Four walls. One ceiling. One door, locked tight.
This is Paul’s world.
For two year, life has passed by on the other side of those four walls. Merchants haggle with customers in the marketplace as fishermen toss their nets into the Mediterranean Sea. Men and women fill the four thousand seats of the theater, watching as the actors take their places on the ornate stage. Ships sail into the manmade harbor with their wares, as women fill jugs with water from a spring miles away, carried into the city by an aqueduct for their convenience.
Not far from Paul’s cell, Antonius Felix, the brutal, corrupt governor of the province, enjoys all the trappings of Herod the Great’s seaside palace. He hosts banquets and fills the many ornate bedrooms with visiting dignitaries. He swims in the Olympic-sized pool and strolls through the garden. He lounges on the porches, drinking fine wine while enjoying the ocean breeze. He relaxes in the steamy waters of a Roman bath. He holds court, collects bribes, and fills his coffers with gold.
Paul just sits in his cell, marking time, waiting for life to begin again.
Before arriving in Caesarea Maritima, Paul spent years on the road, and hundreds of miles passed beneath his feet along the way. In cities all over the Roman world, he preached the Gospel, healed the sick, and freed the demon-possessed. He was stoned, thrown in prison, flogged in the synagogues, and brutally beaten in the streets. None of it stopped him. Tirelessly, relentlessly, he moved on from one city to the next, sharing the good news of Jesus the Messiah with anyone who would listen.
Now, when he was so close to making it to Rome, the heart of the empire, his world had come to a standstill.
When Paul was last in Jerusalem, Jesus appeared to him in a vision with the good news that he was, at last, headed to Rome. When he first arrived in Caesarea Maritima and was presented to Felix, that trip seemed imminent.
Then everything stalled. Felix made his excuses, locked Paul up, and seemed to forget about him entirely.
Days passed, and the wounds Paul suffered during the mob attack in Jerusalem slowly healed. Weeks passed as Paul worshipped and prayed. Years slipped by as he shared the Gospel with anyone who happened to pass the door of his cell.
For 739 days, Paul worshiped, witnessed, and prayed in a world comprised of four walls, one ceiling, one floor, and one locked door.
Waiting, waiting, waiting for Jesus to fulfill His promise to him, a promise long delayed.
Scripture Reading
Read the Scripture below for the account of how Paul waited in custody for two years for Jesus to fulfill His promise to him.
Acts 23:34-35; 24:22-27 NRSV
Paul Presented to Felix
On reading the letter, [Felix] asked what province [Paul] belonged to, and when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that he be kept under guard in Herod’s headquarters.
After Paul’s Hearing with His Accusers
But Felix, who was rather well informed about the Way, adjourned the hearing with the comment, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” Then he ordered the centurion to keep him in custody, but to let him have some liberty and not prevent any of his friends from taking care of his needs…
Paul Held in Custody
Some days later when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak concerning faith in Christ Jesus. And as he discussed justice, self-control, and the coming judgement, Felix became frightened and said, “Go away for the present; when I have an opportunity, I will send for you.” At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul, and for that reason he used to send for him very often and converse with him.
After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; and since he wanted to grant the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.
Let’s Review
- What is Felix waiting for when he first orders Paul to be held under guard?
- While Festus was supposedly waiting for more evidence, he repeatedly called Paul to speak with him. Why did he do this?
- While in Jerusalem, Jesus appeared to Paul in a vision to tell him that he was going to Rome, and at first, it seemed like everything was working out for that to happen. Instead, Paul was locked away under Roman guard for a very long time. What struggled do you think Paul had during his wait? How do you think he felt while enduring this long delay with no idea when it might end?
Application
Paul once admonished the church in Rome to “rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer” (Romans 12:12 NRSV). He had many opportunities to live out his own teaching. His incarceration in Caesarea Maritima was surely one of those times.
How often must Paul have paced the perimeters of his cell in frustration? How many times did he remember the night Jesus appeared to him and wonder why that promise had not been fulfilled?
How did this man of ceaseless energy and relentless drive fill two years of long days and even longer nights waiting for the next phase of his life to begin?
Most certainly, Paul, who once challenged the church in Thessalonica to pray without ceasing, was in constant intercession for the churches under his care. He must have also prayed about his own circumstances as well, seeking God’s face, during his long wait.
It is safe to assume that the same man who sang hymns while suffering in a Roman dungeon also filled his days of waiting with songs of praise And if we have learned anything about Paul, he shared the Gospel every chance he got. Felix certainly seems to have gotten a much bigger dose of the Gospel than he ever wanted to hear.
Paul was stuck. It must have been discouraging and frustrating, but he didn’t waste a moment of his wait.
There are times in our lives when we find ourselves languishing, wondering when God will answer our prayers or fulfill His promises to us. Those times are never easy, but we can follow Paul’s example of enduring them patiently and faithfully.
We can pray. We can worship. We can point those nearest to us to the hope of Christ.
Are you waiting for God to move today? Keep your eyes expectantly on the Father. He will move again. You can trust Him, even when it seems His promises have been delayed.
Prompt
Think about a time when you found yourself waiting for God to fulfill His promises to you. Journal about what you learned during that season (or if you are in a season of waiting now, journal what you are learning today.)
Excerpted with permission from From Where I Stand: 30 Days in the Life of Paul by Shanna Noel, copyright Shanna Noel.
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Your Turn
Are you waiting? That’s completely normal. During our waiting seasons, God does far more than we can see. Hang on to Jesus and wait in hope! ~ Devotionals Daily