Romans 15:31-32 Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, 32 so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed.
Many people often have an impression that leaders draw from an inexhaustible supply of energy, that they just seem to ‘keep on ticking’ when others seem to fade. But leaders are people too. They go through all the same types of stresses that the rest of us do.
But there is one big difference between a leader and those who follow. The leaders circle of confidants is usually very small. Those at the top don’t dare share their weaknesses with a larger audience for fear of degrading the organization over which they lead.
Leaders often feel isolated, and this not by their choice. They have to create a small bubble of friendship or they will be overwhelmed with people and expectations. And it is those expectations that get placed on them that reinforce their isolation. They only have so much time and energy, and they must keep their focus.
Our text tells us about Paul the author of this letter to the Roman church. He asks for prayer. And not just any prayer, he asks for prayers of protection from a specific group of people. He knows that there is opposition to his message of hope. How strange that is. Opposition to a hope filled message.
Paul has been a target of opposition since the first day of his new life in Christ. He used to hunt down the very group for whom he is now an important spokesperson. He went from persecutor to persecuted in a very short time. And so he asks the recipient of this letter to pray that he would be kept safe.
But he also has a primary mission for which he asks prayer. He is carrying a relief gift from Gentile believers to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem. The once hated group is meeting the needs of the haters. That is a turn of the tables. Grace has a powerful impact on people’s beliefs and actions.
Our text finishes with states in a rather subtle way that he needs refreshing. He has been pouring out is life for the sake of the Gospel, and he is feeling the strain. I can imagine his tank is empty. It takes a lot to be a leader.
Leaders, who spend so much time encouraging others, need encouragement themselves. Paul needed some ‘down time’ in order to get ready for the next phase of his ministry. Little did he know that his trip to Jerusalem would end up with him under guard in Rome.
Paul did go to Rome, but not the way he had anticipated. He spent two years teaching there out of his own rented house, but still under arrest. I am sure Paul would have loved to be able to be out and about while he ministered to so many.
Think of all the meals he could have shared with so many people if he could have been mobile. And those meals were often a center of connection for the early church. So Paul prays that he would be able to be in Rome with the Christians there so that he would be refreshed.
Do you need refreshing? Is the exhaustion the result of your efforts for the Gospel, or is it from some other task or goal you are pursuing?
Perhaps it is time to refocus.
The Arnold Journey 