“In Between Normals”: A 30 Day Devotion on the Book of ActsSample

No Wasted Time

There are two ways to ask why. You can ask "why" as an accusation. You vent your frustration and perhaps even accuse God of not being fair to you. Or, you can ask "why" as part of your worship. "God, why am I here? Do you have an assignment for me?"

For a Type-A high achiever like Paul, being kept in custody for two years looked like a waste of time. He could achieve a lot more for God if he was out of jail. Right?

The Fruitful "Wasted Two Years"

Yesterday, we read about Governor Felix. Do you know his wife’s name? Drusilla.

In today's reading, Paul defended himself in the presence of a big group of VIPs. There was King Herod Agrippa II, his sister Bernice, and many "high ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city." (25:23)

Wait! Do you know who Drusilla, Agrippa, and Bernice were? They were all great-grandchildren of King Herod the Great!

Remember Paul’s original calling? Paul was called to preach the gospel to "the Gentiles and their kings." (Acts 9:15) Now, can you see it? Everything was unfolding exactly according to God's plan? What was Paul doing here? Preaching to the Gentiles and their kings! And do you know who was in the pipeline? The Roman emperor, Caesar himself!

It's "because of..."

It's frustrating getting stuck in the land of "in between normals." But listen, there is no "wasted time" in God's economy. Don't allow your situation to blind you!

A few years later, Paul told his friends in Philippi that it was exactly "because of" his time in jail that "the whole palace guard" got to know the Gospel! Moreover, "because of" his predicament, many Christians were greatly encouraged! (Philippians 1:13-14)

My friend, let's keep asking "why"? But ask it as part of your worship.

"God, why am I here? Do you have an assignment for me? What do you want to achieve "because of" my current situation?"

Reflection:

When was the last time something good unexpectedly happened "because of" a bad situation? How does that experience help you go through your current challenges?