Our Best Laid Plans!
"The things which happened to me
have actually turned out for the
furtherance of the gospel."
Philippians 1: 12
Near the end of his third missionary tour, the
apostle
Paul stayed with his friend, Gaius, while he wrote
the book of Romans.
He told the Christians in Rome he was planning to visit
them
on his next trip. He intended to travel to Jerusalem, and
then
to launch his fourth tour to Rome and on to Spain.
He described his plans in depth in Romans
15.
Nothing went as Paul planned. He was arrested in Jerusalem,
spent
two years imprisoned in Caesarea, transported by a ship that sunk
in
the Mediterranean, and washed ashore in Crete, where he was bitten
by a viper. When he finally arrived in Rome, he was in chains
and
facing another two years of incarceration.
Yet he wrote to the Philippians, telling them God had used it all
for
the furtherance of the Gospel. He had evangelized Roman
soldiers
everywhere he went, and the story of his troubles had
emboldened
Christians everywhere to witness with more courage.
We can rest assured God turns our problems into tools for
ministry.
Are you facing a difficult situation right now? Try praying this: Lord,
turn my trial into a testimony!
"We are all faced with a series of great
opportunities brilliantly disguised as
impossible situations."
Chuck Swindoll
