July 25, 2024 — suggested reading: Acts 21:1 – 14

“After we tore ourselves away from them, we put out to sea, and sailing a straight course, we came to Cos, on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went aboard, and put out to sea. After we sighted Cyprus and left it behind on our port side, we sailed on to Syria and put in at Tyre, because the ship was to unload its cargo there. After we located the disciples, we stayed there seven days. They repeatedly told Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. When our time was over, we left and went on our way. All of them, with their wives and children, accompanied us outside of the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. Then we went aboard the ship, and they returned to their own homes. We continued the voyage from Tyre and arrived at Ptolemais, and when we had greeted the brothers, we stayed with them for one day. On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. (He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.) While we remained there for a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. He came to us, took Paulʼs belt, tied his own hands and feet with it, and said, “The Holy Spirit says this: ʻThis is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is, and will hand him over to the Gentiles.ʼ” When we heard this, both we and the local people begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Because he could not be persuaded, we said no more except, “The Lordʼs will be done.” Acts 21:1-14

Paul often exhibits amazing strength, and faith. “Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And though we think we do not have that kind of strength, we often see strength in the least likely of places. Such an example of faith was found on the wall of a concentration camp in World War II. On it a prisoner had carved these words: “I believe in the sun, even though it doesn’t shine, I believe in love, even when it isn’t shown, I believe in God, even when (God) doesn’t speak.”

Can we imagine the person who wrote these words? Try to imagine the skeleton-like hand gripping a broken piece of stone or a shard of glass to cut this powerful statement of faith and strength into a wall. Imagine the eyes squinting through the darkness to see each letter after it was carved. This is what happens when we come out of ourselves and allow G-d to work within us. Meister Eckhart puts it this way: “God expects but one thing of you and that is that you should come out of yourself insofar as you are a created being and let God to be God in you”. When we see such faith and conviction in the midst of images of horror, we are reminded yes, of man’s inhumanity against man, but also of the power of faith. Remember, G-d expects but one thing of us all – to allow G-d to be G-d in each one of us.

Pastor Dave