Acts 20:32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

This is why and how Paul could go around doing what he did. He wasn’t depending on man, either himself or the people to whom he ministered, but on God, and specifically on God’s Word. He could do this even though he knew prophetically that “savage wolves” would come in to do all the damage they could. (verses 29-30) We have such trouble trusting God like that! Church history is indeed filled with stories of such “wolves,” and it’s hardly pretty. However, there has always been a remnant that has clung to God and His truth in faithfulness, and that is the Bride of Christ that Revelation talks about. The letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3 point this out, with various kinds of “wolves” mentioned, but the recurring refrain of “He who overcomes” applies to each situation. Jesus words about “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33) apply to churches as well as individuals! Individual shepherds are to be on their guard as Paul said, but they aren’t to be anxious. Organizations come and go, but the Body of Christ is His, and His business. We are to be faithful in all we say and do, but know that the final outcome is in God’s hands, and it is glorious.

This couldn’t be more applicable to me! At 75, I and others around me are concerned about my successor in this church, but effective ministers have already gone out from this church, and the believers here are increasingly grounded in the Word. I am to indeed trust God and the Word of His grace, just as Paul did. That doesn’t mean I’m to be lazy or take things for granted, but it does mean that I’m to remember that it ultimately doesn’t depend on me, because it is God’s church, and He who is in me, and us, is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

Father, thank You for this encouraging reminder. World events can certainly be anxiety-producing, and events closer to home can be upsetting as well. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do, so that I may be a faithful servant for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!