Life sometimes stinks, even when I am trying to do life God’s way. The fears I had when I was pregnant with our daughter, the very, very few I shared those fears with, they assured me fear was common for a first-time mom, and everything would be just fine. When Tonia died shortly after birth, I learned the harsh, but very real lesson, that life holds no guarantees. I have watched women give everything they knew to give, and marriages have still crumbled, and children have still walked away from the faith their moms tried to nurture in them. Even doing “good” can come with a price tag – busyness, misunderstanding, failure to accomplish desired goals. All the “good” Paul attempted to do was met with a price tag. His life was dramatically transformed when he made a trip to Damascus, and Jesus met him on the road. His direction shifted from persecuting Christians to explaining the fulfillment of God’s promises, and yet, the Jewish leaders disagreed with him, and shouts of accusation escalated to conflict, violence, and imprisonment.
God had prepared Paul though for the stink. Paul had a coveted Roman citizenship. He was educated by Pharisees. His thinking skills and his ability to conceptualize truth were keen, and his leadership skills were proven. He was able to draw on all of that as he walked through the stink. My knowledge and understanding of God, even in its infant stages, became the foundation for all of life’s twists and turns, just as many others can also testify. Individual uniqueness, shaped by God, is the raw material God works with as we respond to the stink and as we grow and give because of it. Between being rescued from a growing conflict and becoming the object of an oath that sought his death, Paul experienced God stepping in when he needed him most. “The Lord appeared to Paul and said, ‘Be encouraged, Paul.’” When I most need God is when I am most aware of Him if I simply stop to look for Him. I have seen Him in the helpfulness of others. I have seen Him when in the turmoil of the urgent, secondary issues are resolved. I have seen Him when I pause to consider His timing, His placement, the unfolding of a plan I may not have asked for, but it brought good even in the midst of difficulty.
And for Paul, there was a “but.” The oath that sought his death was interrupted by a “but.” But Paul’s nephew heard of the plan. And Paul’s nephew acted. God was still in control. God still cared. God was still at work. Even in the stink. In panic I cried out, “I am cut off from the Lord!” But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help. ... Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? [But...] I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Savior and my God! ... Give your burdens to the Lord and he will take care of you. ... Trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. Even in the stink.
God had prepared Paul though for the stink. Paul had a coveted Roman citizenship. He was educated by Pharisees. His thinking skills and his ability to conceptualize truth were keen, and his leadership skills were proven. He was able to draw on all of that as he walked through the stink. My knowledge and understanding of God, even in its infant stages, became the foundation for all of life’s twists and turns, just as many others can also testify. Individual uniqueness, shaped by God, is the raw material God works with as we respond to the stink and as we grow and give because of it. Between being rescued from a growing conflict and becoming the object of an oath that sought his death, Paul experienced God stepping in when he needed him most. “The Lord appeared to Paul and said, ‘Be encouraged, Paul.’” When I most need God is when I am most aware of Him if I simply stop to look for Him. I have seen Him in the helpfulness of others. I have seen Him when in the turmoil of the urgent, secondary issues are resolved. I have seen Him when I pause to consider His timing, His placement, the unfolding of a plan I may not have asked for, but it brought good even in the midst of difficulty.
And for Paul, there was a “but.” The oath that sought his death was interrupted by a “but.” But Paul’s nephew heard of the plan. And Paul’s nephew acted. God was still in control. God still cared. God was still at work. Even in the stink. In panic I cried out, “I am cut off from the Lord!” But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help. ... Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? [But...] I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Savior and my God! ... Give your burdens to the Lord and he will take care of you. ... Trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. Even in the stink.
(Related Bible reading; Acts 22:29 - 23:35)
