God Will Find A Way

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

GOD WILL FIND A WAY

Acts 22:1-7

22:1 "Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense." 2 When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said: 3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. 4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5 as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. 6 "About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?' 

NIV

It is interesting that although these men had just beaten Paul with the intent of killing him, as he addresses them, he refers to the as brothers and fathers. Paul is calling them fellow Jews as his brethren, but the word translated as fathers, does not mean the paternal father of a son, but rather it is applied to those of the Sanhedrin as well, in the sense they are the Padres of the Jews, looking to the people as their children, under their care. As Paul begins to speak in Aramaic, they become quiet, in a sense giving respect to someone who knows their native language. He makes them know that he is a Jew, just like them, no different, not a stranger, a foreigner, or a dreaded gentile. He is setting the stage for this great testimony of the intervention by Jesus in his life. Of course, this might be thought as just this one-time event where Jesus appears in bright light and speaks directly to someone, intervening in life, changing the course of that life forever. However, God does not change, he will always intervene, and he will always make a way to appear to us, in some sense, showing himself through a miracle, healing, or whatever is needed to reach into a person’s inner being. Paul needed that bright light, I personally needed proof he is real through and put him to the test, asking if he is God then he can perform a miracle. Indeed, that miracle occurred which was beyond the physical science I knew to be true. We think that each believer has had some kind of experience with Jesus, otherwise, what would be the reason to believe? Something has to reach into the heart of someone in order for them to have faith in Jesus Christ. Even if it is as simple as the word of God making sense to them, something within the word, some truth has to reach within for the measure of faith that God gives each person to be awakened. We know God wants all men to come to faith in Jesus. Yet, we also believe that there are certain people who God makes a special effort to reach, such as he did with Paul because of the plans he has for those people, like the plans he had for Paul. Although God desires that we all join in the chorus of spreading the good news, it would seem, he has special people he has designed for very special plans. Nevertheless, God will find a way, when there is no other way.