Acts 23:11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

Paul had already planned to go to Rome, but he wasn’t planning to go the way God intended! Had Paul not been imprisoned in Caesarea, Luke would not have had the time to research and write his Gospel, and had Paul not been imprisoned in Rome, he would not have had the time or the focus to write all his letters. In this verse we have the record of God telling Paul one element of His plans for him, but he was not given the details that might have scared him off. It’s actually a good thing that God doesn’t reveal everything to us ahead of time! We can only absorb so much at once, and our courage is often limited. We speak of “bandwidth,” and it’s part of the human condition. God lets us know what we need to know when we can handle it, and we need to be at peace with that. People posit the thought question, “Would you want to know the moment and method of your death?” Whatever our answer to the question, it would not be a good idea. Recently, “death with dignity,” also called “Medical Assistance In Death,” has grown in popularity, to the point that a significant percentage of people in Canada die that way. That’s tragic. As long as we can think, we can pray. As long as we can smile, we can bless others. The fact that we are on this earth is proof our Creator has functions for us to fulfill, and trying to duck out of those is irresponsible. And every event in our lives up until the moment God calls us home has meaning. We need to so live that we can say with Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7) We don’t need to know every detail of the fight ahead of time, we only need to know the next waypoint of the race. That violates our desire to be in control, but that’s what faith is all about. God’s plans for us are good, as I have been preaching about for the past several weeks!

I preach about this, but I’m not perfect in my own implementation. I too need to choose faith, trust, and obedience. I have experienced God’s grace in overflowing measure, in more ways than I could count, and I can indeed testify that it’s all I need. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I am to be listening carefully to know the next waypoint in my race, but I’m not to be anxious about it in the least. As He has told me, and keeps reminding me, I am to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him. I will indeed see His glory, and when, where, and how are simply things to look forward to. I may well have suffering ahead of me, as Paul did, but that’s nothing compared to what God has prepared for me. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the message You’ve given me for this morning, on Guidance. Help me indeed recognize Your guidance and follow it, and not just talk about it to others! Thank You for the way You are laying out our church schedule for the end of the year. Help me trust You with every detail, so that Your plans may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!