Turnaround

Acts 28:30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him.

Good stories often have twists that we don’t see coming. Murder mysteries often present a character as guilty only to later be shown innocent. These red herrings keep the reader involved with the story to its conclusion.

We love and hate the twists. We think we know the direction of the story and then, wham, away we go in a different direction. We have to adjust our thinking and expectation to meet the new details that have been revealed.

The story of the Book of Acts has been about the spread of the Gospel, especially among the Gentiles at the hand and mouth of Paul. Paul has been arrested and sent to Rome for trial. Our expectation is that he was like every other prisoner, enduring harsh treatment and almost unlivable conditions.

But this is not what the text reveals. Even when he is put on board the ship to be transported to Rome, he is allowed to have his friends help him with provisions for the journey. This is not something most prisoners were allowed to do. He is no ordinary prisoner.

When he gets to Rome, he is allowed to have a rented house and frequent visitors. Again, not the normal prisoner of Rome. And he is in the house for two years! And what is he doing?

What has Paul been doing since he became a follower of Jesus? He has been convincing others about the Truth of the Gospel. Jesus life, death, burial and resurrection have been the focus of his teaching. He had studied the Scriptures since he was young, and not those same Scriptures become the vehicle through which Paul demonstrates the continuity of Jesus resurrection and the Old Testament promises.

He has traveled over a large part of the Roman world spreading this message. And what happens when he is imprisoned in his own rented home?

People from all over the Roman world travel to Rome for many reasons. And Paul is now there, chained as it were to his rented house, and they come and hear what he has to say. Paul used to travel to people. Now they travel to him.

Never underestimate the power of God to turn circumstances around and make what seems bad into something supernaturally powerful. Negative circumstances are only so because we fail to see the LORD in them. And He is in them.

Today, see the LORD in the negative. He is not the author of the negative, but He is using it to further His Kingdom. Will you be a part of that?