“One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.’” Acts 18:9-10.
Evidently, Paul was experiencing some rough times in Corinth. He might even have been considering leaving Corinth. It was at this point that the Lord appeared to Paul in a vision, encouraging him to hang in there and to not fear any harm from attack. The Lord had many people in Corinth that He desired Paul to reach out to. Paul ended up staying another year and one half, working with and among the Corinthians.
If the Lord appeared to me in a dream or in a vision, telling me not to be afraid, I would probably start looking over my shoulder wondering what I should be afraid of. Actually, I would be very excited that the Lord appeared to me! Next, I would start worrying about what I wasn’t to be afraid of and what harm I was potentially to be exposed to. I don’t think that this was what happened to Paul. After all, he had already experienced near-death situations from beatings and floggings, and death didn’t seem to be something Paul was afraid of. We are not actually sure what Paul might have been afraid of, yet whatever it was did not stop him from doing the mission God desired for him to do. The encouragement from the Lord in this vision must have been enough for Paul to stand firm and proclaim the message of Jesus.
Questions to consider: Have you received an encouraging word today? Is there an encouraging word that you need to tell someone? Do you sense the Lord is near, helping you to handle any fears?
Prayer: Father, thank You that You give me words of encouragement that calm my fears and help me to face rough obstacles. Give me strength to push through those things that seek to bring me down. Amen.
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