| Standing By |
Standing By
Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who
hope in the Lord.
— Psalm 31:24
Paul had gone to Jerusalem to preach the gospel, and the next thing he
knew, he was locked up in a cold, damp, dark prison cell. I'm sure that
on his first night there, he was a discouraged man.
Why do I say that? Because of the Lord's words to him: "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). The phrase "be of good
cheer" could also be translated, "be of good courage." In Scripture,
whenever an angel of the Lord would appear and say, "Fear not," it was
usually because someone was afraid at that given moment. So I
conclude that when the Lord himself told Paul, "Be of good courage,"
he needed a special word of encouragement at that particular moment.
Acts 23:11 includes this important detail: "But the following night the
Lord stood by him and said, 'Be of good cheer. . . . ' " The Lord stood
by him. Sometimes, it may seem as though the Lord is the only one
standing by us. But if everyone else had abandoned Paul, Jesus was
company enough. If all others despised him, the smile of Jesus was
approval enough. Though his circumstances were less than ideal, I am
sure Paul knew that it was better to be in jail with the Lord than
anywhere else without Him.
Jesus is there in your prison as well. For some, it might be a literal
prison cell. For others, it might be the prison of a hospital room or the
prison of mourning. Whatever or wherever that prison is in your life,
Jesus is standing by you. And He is saying, "Be of good courage."
Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who
hope in the Lord.
— Psalm 31:24
Paul had gone to Jerusalem to preach the gospel, and the next thing he
knew, he was locked up in a cold, damp, dark prison cell. I'm sure that
on his first night there, he was a discouraged man.
Why do I say that? Because of the Lord's words to him: "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). The phrase "be of good
cheer" could also be translated, "be of good courage." In Scripture,
whenever an angel of the Lord would appear and say, "Fear not," it was
usually because someone was afraid at that given moment. So I
conclude that when the Lord himself told Paul, "Be of good courage,"
he needed a special word of encouragement at that particular moment.
Acts 23:11 includes this important detail: "But the following night the
Lord stood by him and said, 'Be of good cheer. . . . ' " The Lord stood
by him. Sometimes, it may seem as though the Lord is the only one
standing by us. But if everyone else had abandoned Paul, Jesus was
company enough. If all others despised him, the smile of Jesus was
approval enough. Though his circumstances were less than ideal, I am
sure Paul knew that it was better to be in jail with the Lord than
anywhere else without Him.
Jesus is there in your prison as well. For some, it might be a literal
prison cell. For others, it might be the prison of a hospital room or the
prison of mourning. Whatever or wherever that prison is in your life,
Jesus is standing by you. And He is saying, "Be of good courage."
| C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside , CA 92514 |