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Acts 23:11-35 NKJV– God Miraculously Appears to Paul to Prepare Him for a Rough Yet Rewarding Ministry Ahead:

Paul receives his own personal “Let not your heart be troubled” moment with Jesus!

Everyone experiences hardships. Everyone experiences challenges. At some point, everyone feels fear, and pain strikes at the heart of every person. Even discouragement and doubt are equal opportunity offenders. The pain a person feels is real. The emotional struggles they battle with are real, and no one should dismiss the significance of one’s challenges just because s/he may be a little stronger in particular areas in which another person is struggling. No one is immune, and everyone needs encouragement.

And it seems that the more severe the pain, the more believers need to be strengthened by God’s life-energizing encouragement. Just as a marathon runner needs to refuel his/her body with protein, energy bars, and electrolytes throughout his/her long journey, believers in deep pain need to feed off the encouragement and spiritual refreshment delivered by other believers more frequently. In fact, it seems like the sharper the pain, the more swiftly we burn through the encouragement that had been deposited in our hearts, and we lean upon our loyal and faithful friends to get us through the journey (II Corinthians 7:5-7; Galatians 6:2; I Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 10:24-25).

Even Paul needed encouragement throughout his ministry and travels (see Devotional on Acts 18:1-11). And once again, God delivered His life-energizing encouragement to Paul directly. Two days before, Paul had been dragged out of the Temple by a chaotic mob desiring to kill him (Acts 21:26-36). Moments later, he found himself strapped down, prepared to be whipped (Acts 22:24-25). The very next day, he stood in front of the Jewish Sanhedrin, and some feared that he would be “pulled to pieces” (Acts 23:10 NKJV) because of the outrage that broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees. Those were a couple of very stressful days for Paul. Even though he engaged in some one-of-a-kind ministry opportunities, it was not without the heavy weight of being physically bruised and emotionally stirred at every turn. That night, Paul received from God the exact encouragement he needed at exactly the right time that empowered him for immediate challenges. The encouragement also empowered him as he prepared for the long-term challenge of witnessing in Rome. “But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome” (Acts 23:11 NKJV).

In His Divine knowledge, the Lord knew that Paul not only needed a word of encouragement but also needed to experience the tangible presence and peace from God after all he had been through. Notice Acts 23:11a (NKJV) begins by saying, “The Lord stood by him” (Greek: “eh-FIST-ay-mee” meaning, “was present near him,” “positioned/placed himself by him”). Before God ever said a word to Paul, he came near to him. And while we know theologically God is always everywhere at all times (Psalm 136:1-12), meaning we are always in His presence, this phrase is included to emphasize that Paul actually experienced God’s personal care, interest, and love He has for his child and messenger, Paul.

Then the Lord provided Paul with specific encouragement. Notice the Lord encouraged Paul to “Be of good cheer” (Greek: “far-SAY-oh,” meaning, “Be encouraged,” “take courage”). It is such a simple phrase, yet it is so profound. And while these words are encouraging in and of themselves, what really makes the words impactful to the receiver is the person who is saying them. Many people can say, “Hang in there, I’m here for you,” but if that person is a well-meaning stranger, s/he are appreciated, but it is not as impactful as, say, being said by, say, one’s soulmate. Because when you know how much the person loves you, the words carry much more meaning. When you can testify that the person has been with you through thick and thin, how s/he have always stood up for you, have always granted you forgiveness when you deserved punishment, and s/ he are the one who positions close to you, the words “be encouraged” are more impactful than coming from 10 well-intended strangers. You begin to feel that you can make it through another day. So, imagine how Paul must have thought about receiving the words straight from God Himself! The God who had been with him in situations like these before and saw him through. God’s words had a significant impact on Paul.

Then, after God delivered this encouragement to Paul, he received another divine “attaboy” from Him. God acknowledged that He was pleased by Paul’s faithful work in Jerusalem, and He wants him to do the same thing in Rome, “for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome” (Acts 23:11c NKJV). In essence, God was saying, “You did such a great job in Jerusalem, I want you to do the same thing in Rome!” Now, Paul might have responded that he did not do much, really. Over just a couple of days’ time, he tried to preach to the people of Jerusalem but did not get all the way through the presentation once he said, “Gentiles” (Acts 22:21-23 NKJV). Then he attempted to testify to the Sanhedrin but did not get past the first sentence about the resurrection, and he got swiftly ushered out for his safety (Acts 23:6, 10). And of course, God would obviously have known all this. But God blesses willingness and faithfulness (Psalm 101:6) and He brings the increase (Mark 4:26-29; I Corinthians 3:6-8; and see our Devotional on Acts 22:24b-29). And while God was on the earth, He taught that “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much” (Luke 16:10a, NIV). God emphasized that Paul’s faithful commitment to the Lord was what He desired from him and that a willing and faithful heart is God’s chosen method and means to reach the world.

God also confirmed with Paul that he was aligned properly with the will of God, which gave Paul great confidence. Paul felt compelled that he should ultimately go to Rome to proclaim the Gospel and strengthen the believers (Acts 19:21; Romans 15:22-29). And while some well-intentioned believers felt strongly that Paul should not go to Rome because of the inevitable persecution that would come (Acts 21:7-13), they concluded that the will of God would be done in Paul’s life and they would cease attempting to persuade Paul and see what God did and did not allow (Acts 21:14). Maybe they thought that if the Lord did not want Paul to pursue his own plan, God would hinder him from proceeding just as the Spirit hindered Paul from proceeding with his plans in Acts 16:7. Yet in his encouragement to Paul, God confirmed that Rome was exactly where He wanted Paul to go (Acts 23:11c). And even though two Roman governmental leaders will admit, in the future, that Paul probably could have been released from custody if Paul had not appealed his case to the emperor in Rome (Acts 26:30-32), Paul was not troubled by this for he believed the Lord wanted him to go to Rome.

The Lord’s encouragement made a huge, positive difference in Paul’s life. It renewed his confidence to continue to minister. After receiving this encouragement from the Lord, it is no surprise that we do not read anything about Paul being disturbed or worried when he learned, yet again, that people were out to kill him and how the religious leaders were all in on a scheme to capture him (Acts 23:11-12). There is no indication that Paul even lost sleep upon hearing that more than 40 men made an oath that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed him (Acts 23:12, 21). In fact, it is recorded that the Roman officials were more concerned than Paul was about the news (Acts 23:17-22). The reason there is no mention of Paul’s anxiety level was that he received affirmation and confirmation from the Lord (Acts 23:11)!

The next day, Paul traveled with the Roman soldiers to what would begin a series of encounters with governmental leaders that eventually resulted in Paul going to Rome. And once again, God providentially orchestrated the Roman army to provide 470 soldiers to protect Paul so that he could arrive safely to his next opportunity to share the Gospel along with his testimony (Acts 23:23-24; see Acts 21:37-40; 23:10). And with a smile while on the road, Paul probably rehearsed the encouragement he had received from the Lord, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome” (Acts 23:11 NKJV)!

God is at work, energizing believers to run the marathon of life. And just as He encouraged Paul, on that night, He allows us as believers to have the awesome privilege of delivering His life-energizing encouragement to others. And even though we may not know the reason why He wants us to deliver a word of encouragement to a particular person, we should respond immediately to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and deliver it anyway. God may eventually reveal to us the reason why the encouragement was needed (and He may not until we all gather in eternity), but our responsibility as believers is to obey His prompting immediately. We are to remain mindful that God is at work, and if He has impressed upon our hearts that we should deliver His life-energizing encouragement to another person, then we can experience the awesome privilege of being used by God to fulfill His will in our lives and in the lives of others.

Ponder & Pray Today…

Reflect on when you were once in a challenging situation where you received encouragement from a supportive friend that really got you through a stressful situation. Now think about when you were in a turbulent season of life, a period of time that you dwelt in a state of uneasiness or even great anxiety. Attempt to recall how many times you sought the encouragement of people who were meaningful during that time. Or remember how many times they intentionally reached out to you in order to provide you with encouragement because they felt compelled in their spirit to lift you up at that moment. Recall the value of their frequent, loving, and repetitive encouragement during your season of need.

God is at work, energizing believers to run the marathon of life. And just as He encouraged Paul, on that night, He allows us as believers to have the awesome privilege of delivering His life-energizing encouragement to others. And even though we may not know the reason why He wants us to deliver a word of encouragement to a particular person, we should respond immediately to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and deliver it anyway. God may eventually reveal to us the reason why the encouragement was needed (and He may not until we all gather in eternity), but our responsibility as believers is to obey His prompting immediately. We are to remain mindful that God is at work, and if He has impressed upon our hearts that we should deliver His life-energizing encouragement to another person, then we can experience the awesome privilege of being used by God to fulfill His will in our lives and in the lives of others.