Today as I was reading Acts 18:1-17, I thought, “why is this here?” Have you ever had that thought when reading Scripture? “I don’t know how this applies to my life and I don’t know why I’m reading this.” Maybe your mind begins to wander (more than usual) and you skim read over the chapter then put the Bible down not feeling like you got anything out of your time in the Word. Has this happened to you? Is it just me?
We can get in the habit of this being the reaction or result of our time in our personal Bible study. It’s a dangerous place to be, because we check the box of “I did my Bible time” but did we really? Did we really glean anything out of this? No.
What can we do differently? Today as I read and realized what was happening, I asked the Lord to help me see what I was missing in these Scriptures. So, I began to ask myself; what is the theme of this section? What do these Scriptures say about the Lord? As I journaled those things, I then asked myself, “What does this mean for me? How do I apply this to my life?”
I want to share the things I learned from this Scripture with you today. But I first want you to go and read the passage of scripture, Acts 18:1-17. Write down what you see or how you feel about this section, does anything jump out at you? Do you have the same reaction I did, skim over and feel like you didn’t get anything? I want you to see the contrast with my notes below in what happens when we as the Lord to open our eyes to His word, wait patiently for Him to speak, and do our part in studying the Word He has given us.
Verses 9-10 seem to be the theme of this section: (continue to keep these verses in mind as you read the notes for the following verses)
- Do not be afraid
- Speak and do not keep silent
- God is with you
- No one will hurt you. God already has many people set in the city.
Verse 1 – Paul was persecuted in Athens and Thessalonica (chapter 17).
Verses 2-3 – As God said in verses 9-10, we already see Him working and providing for Paul, before Paul even knew exactly what he would need. Aquila and Priscila became dear friends and were there to minister, help, house, and work with Paul. God provided work for Paul while he ministered in Corinth.
Verses 5-8 – This could have been frustrating for Paul. The Jews were not listening and were pushing back against his preaching about Jesus. But it was a pivotal moment in Paul’s ministry because he said, “From now on I will go to the Gentiles”. Had Paul not faced push back, had things not worked out this way, would he have so eagerly changed and gone to Gentiles at this time?
Verses 12-17 – God also prepared here, Paul was brought to be judged by someone who didn’t take the case seriously and released him. Things could have gone a very different way except that God already said, “No one will hurt you.” God is faithful to His word.
God was already faithful to a Word He hadn’t even communicated to Paul yet. That’s just who He is. Faithful. Steady. Constant.
What does this mean for me? How can I apply this to my life?
Keep going. Trust the Lord to be faithful. Expect Him to speak and continue to be in communion with Him. But while you’re waiting, do what He has called you to do. Grow in your walk with Him. When we face push back or when things don’t go according to our plan, what is our reaction? Can we reevaluate and see what God is speaking? Maybe He is changing our course or taking us to a new level of ministry. Maybe He is trying to speak or refine us. We won’t learn from these things if we aren’t sensitive to His leading and listening for His direction.
I am thankful for the reminder today to keep digging in the Word. He is speaking and is so faithful to open our eyes, if we ask, wait, listen, and seek Him.