Trust In Uncertainty

You're listening to the My Morning Devotional podcast, episode 1537. Today's Devo is called Trust in Uncertainty. Hey there. We're the Alessies, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional Podcast. Well, happy Tuesday, everybody. It's a great day to be waking up and listening to the My Morning Devo podcast. We're going to be looking at this idea of trusting in the middle of Uncertainty. I know the title might look like I'm saying Trust in Uncertainty, but no, it's Trusting in the Midst of Uncertainty. But the title has to be a little bit short, so that's why I had to do it that way. Okay, we're picking up Acts chapter 23. Yesterday we looked at Acts chapter 22. At the end of 22, things would have gotten a little bit complicated because they would have arrested him. But now, because of how they arrested him and who arrested Paul, they realized he's a Roman citizen, so they weren't allowed to trial him, so they had to take it to a different person. This is where it's like the politics and the government of Acts kind of happens. And now we are in Acts chapter 23:3. And there's a part in Acts chapter 23. This is where it gets a little bit messy because we see he stands before the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Now, there is a difference here. The Sadducees believe that there is no resurrection and there are no angels or spirits, whereas the Pharisees. It says it here, actually in verse eight, that the. The Pharisees believe all of these things. So Paul is really getting stuck now in his. In his time in prison. And now it's just going from. Honestly, when you read it, it just looks like it goes from bad to worse because it's like he keeps being sent off to different people. And in verse 12, actually, it's a little bit further up. Verse nine. Excuse me, it says this. There was a great uproar. Some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees, stood up and argued vigorously. We find nothing wrong with this man. What if an angel or a spirit has spoken to him? The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to Go down and take him away from them by force and bring them into the barracks. This is what I want us to focus on today. The following night, the Lord stood near Paul and said this. Take courage. As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome. Paul is going through a lot of uncertainty right now. Paul is going through some of the worst situations that you could go through. He's not only arrested, but it's just like the arrest keeps getting more and more complicated. More people keep rising up and going against him, more people disagree with him, more people don't like him. And now it's starting to look like God, will this ever end? He's already stood before people to plead his case. Now he's having to do it again. And then the Lord says, hey, take courage. And notice this. He doesn't say, take courage. This isn't the verse that says, take courage. I have overcome the world. No, it says, take courage. As you testified in Jerusalem, I want you to testify in Rome. God's basically telling Paul, hey, buckle up. Take courage. You've already worked a lot. I need you to keep working here. But there is something in this story. When you keep reading, in verse 12, it talks about how there was a plot to kill Paul, but that Paul's nephew, it would have been his sister's son, hears about the plot and he tells Paul himself, warns Paul, and then they were able to warn the commanders there. And this is what's beautiful, that even in uncertainty, God is using people. God is. Is using different businesses. God is using different elements in your life to work all things out. Even when we don't see it, God is still working. Because right here, Paul is very uncertain about what's to come. Paul is very confused. He doesn't know what's going to happen. He's thinking, I am stuck in this prison. There is no way out. But God uses his nephew. God uses somebody that, frankly, we might not even ever recognize he's in the Bible at all. His name's not even mentioned here. But God uses his nephew to go behind the scenes and to communicate to Paul, hey, they're plotting to kill you. This is a lesson for all of us that God is working behind the scenes, even when we don't realize it. God is using family members. God is using friends, bosses, teachers. He is using people behind the scenes to fight and to stick up for you and defend you. And I, to go up for us on our behalf, to protect us. Sometimes we think if we don't see God, if we don't see his hand or we don't feel him. Then he's not there. He's not present. He's not working. But this is just another testimony. This is just another example of how even when you're in prison, prison, and life is uncertain and the only word from the Lord that you received is, hey, you gotta keep working and stay the course, that God is still working things out for our good. You see, life can feel uncertain. It can feel chaotic. But God's plan isn't fragile. It isn't something that can break easily. It isn't something that can just come apart so easily. You see, what feels like for us, I heard this a long time ago. What feels like a setback to us is actually a positioning that we feel like God is setting us back, when really God is repositioning us to receive the next blessing or to be in the place that God needs us to be. And this is what I really. I love about Paul's story, is that this isn't a story of just success and he got everything that he needed and he received all the blessings of God. No, it's a story about honoring God, staying faithful and obedient to him. That's the story we're reading. That's the success in this story. It's that Paul stayed faithful in the midst of uncertainty. He trusted God in the midst of uncertainty. That's for you and I today. I wonder where in your life you don't feel certain. Just think about it right now. Take a minute to just process. Where in your life are you feeling things aren't lining up, things aren't adding up? Or maybe it feels like a setback. And then the final question I have for you is this. Can you trust that God is still ordering your steps? Do you believe that? Do you trust that? Because if you do, then you know life isn't uncertain. It's not a setback. It's a setup for what God wants to do in you in this next season. Come on, let's pray. Father, we just thank you. We thank that. Lord. You are. You are ordering our steps. You are doing things behind the scenes, God, that we will never know and we will never see. You are putting things in a better position. You are putting people in our lives. There are people that are speaking on our behalf. Where. What people around us, God, that you are using to help us and to set us up to be in a better position to glorify and honor you. So I pray that you help us trust you, Lord, when we don't understand what's happening. If it's a doctor's report that we don't understand, if it's a phone call that we just received that we can't even make sense of, Father, if it's a business endeavor that now we have to take on, but it doesn't feel certain. Father, I just pray that your peace. I pray that your spirit would come upon us in this season of uncertainty and that we all know we can trust in you. In Jesus name, Amen. So there you have it. Your 5 minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today. We pray these devotionals empower you to take on your day. If you found value in this devotional, share it with a friend, leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow, we pray that your latte is strong, but your love for Jesus is stronger.