“After saying farewell to the Ephesian elders, we sailed straight to the island of Cos. The next day we reached Rhodes and then went to Patara. There we boarded a ship sailing for Phoenicia. We sighted the island of Cyprus, passed it on our left, and landed at the harbor of Tyre, in Syria, where the ship was to unload its cargo. We went ashore, found the local believers, and stayed with them a week. These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem. When we returned to the ship at the end of the week, the entire congregation, including women and children, left the city and came down to the shore with us. There we knelt, prayed, and said our farewells. Then we went aboard, and they returned home.”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭21‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Criss- crossing sea and land, Paul and his companions reached Tyre, a harbour city in Syria. There was already a group of believers there, so Paul’s group disembarked and joined them while the ship’s cargo was being unloaded. Paul was always ready to use every opportunity to spend time with the believers while they waited to rejoin the ship. 

Have you noticed how the same warning came to Paul…time and again…from each group of believers he met on his way.  “Don’t go to Jerusalem!” they prophesied.  It almost seems as though the Holy Spirit was giving Paul two conflicting messages. Wes this confusion or a test?

Why did Paul disregard the warning? Was he just being stubborn…or skeptical? Should he have changed his plan, gone to Antioch instead…where he would be safe and with friends? Why Jerusalem where his life would be  in danger? Why was he so resolute about going to Jerusalem, of all places? Surely, by this time, the whole world knew that he had preached to and was closely connected to the despised Gentiles. The Jews said he was a sell-out…a traitor.. to be exterminated like a bug. 

Paul had already made clear to the church in  Ephesus that he was well aware of what he was doing. Knowing that his life was at risk, he was passing the baton on to them to continue where he left off. 

“And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭20‬:‭22‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

…he had told them…

It is clear that the Spirit was not warning Paul not to go to Jerusalem but rather preparing him for what lay ahead. He was not to be taken by surprise when things turned nasty. He was to go with the flow, knowing that the  Lord was in charge…and that He had a plan. 

The believers in Tyre also warned Paul of impending trouble which he also received but brushed aside, moving resolutely on towards Jerusalem. 

Paul had a different perspective about his life. He held his own life lightly. He would remain on earth as long as His Lord decreed. If he still had work to do, he was safe in the Lord’s hands. If it was time for him to leave, he would not resist the manner of his departure. So, whatever lay ahead in Jerusalem held no terror for him. 

Paul had no idea what awaited him in that city. He only knew that he was on track with the Holy Spirit and that the way ahead was not pretty. What a way to face life…carefree in the care of God! 

We can draw an important lesson from Paul’s example…especially in view of the fact that he was aware of the danger he was facing. By comparison, how relatively easy and trouble-free our lives are. No matter what our circumstances…Jesus said, “Do not worry…” and Paul himself said, “Do not be anxious…” even from his prison cell in Philippi. 

How can we face the uncertainties of life with the same resolute courage as Paul’s even though we don’t know what the future holds for us? God has given us a safeguard against discouragement and despair, a boundary within which we can freely move without fear. 

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Fortified with this promise, there is nothing we face that can destroy us because we have God’s infallible word. When we trace Paul’s story from this point on, the “all things” worked out exactly what, if not how, he wanted. His desire was to reach Rome, the hub of the Roman Empire…and he did…at the government’s expense!

If Paul’s story can teach us one overriding lesson, it’s this…as always…God can be trusted because He is faithful!

To be continued