In the Moment?

“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.”

Acts 23:11

As we read above, the Word of the Lord was given to Paul.

With the ability on our part to read forward into Paul’s life we can see how this word was spoken more for what Paul was yet to face than it was for the moment that he was currently in. Though it would have certainly encouraged him ‘in the moment’ we find that many times in the coming days he would have ample opportunity to trust the Word of the Lord to deliver him to Rome when, by all appearances and through all circumstances, the exact opposite would seem the most likely outcome.

We often may receive words of encouragement from God delivered through prophecy, our own quiet time with Him, a clear and concise word from His Word, or some other way that He chooses to communicate that encouragement to us.

Let those words continue to sew hope and peace into your spirit as you trust God with their fulfillment and do not leave them to our own ‘in the moment’ interpretation.

Paul would indeed see the word spoken fulfilled.

But between the moment he received it to its’ completion there was hardly ‘smooth sailing’ for Paul.

He would endure much in between.

That included a shipwreck that one could never consider smooth sailing!

Hold on to the Word of the Lord!

Let it be hope and peace in your life.

Even when the waters are rough!