An Encore for a King ("On Trial" series pt 6)

Thank you. Sometimes we can feel like God is not doing anything in our lives. We can think that He is very distant and far away, not at work. However, in the text we are looking at today in the book of Acts, specifically Acts chapter 25, we will see that God is intricately working. He sometimes takes many years or months to prepare to work in us and on us so that He can work through us. But He is doing a work.

If you have the time, open your Bible to Acts 25. We will look at what the Scriptures have to say about that. God bless. If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand. Let's stand together for the reading of God's Word, if you're not already standing.

We opened last week by looking at the first twelve verses. Today, we will begin reading at verse 11, a verse we looked at last week, but we will do so to give context. Acts 25:11 is where we will start.

There, the Apostle Paul, standing before a group hearing him on trial, says, "For if I am an offender or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying. But if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar."

Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, "You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go."

After some days, King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus. When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, "There is a certain man left prisoner by Felix, about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me when I went up to Jerusalem, asking judgment against him."

To them, I answered, "It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to destruction before he, the accused, meets the accusers face to face and has an opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charges against him."

Therefore, when they had come together without any delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in. When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I supposed, but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.

Because I was uncertain of such questions, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem to be judged concerning these matters. But when Paul...

Appealed to be reserved for the decision of Augustus Caesar, I commanded him to be kept until I could send him to Caesar. Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I also would like to hear the man myself tomorrow." Festus replied, "You shall hear him."

Father, we pray that you would give us insight as we look in Your Word. As we stand here today, we acknowledge that Your Word is living and powerful. Lord, we recognize that Your Word has been given to us by You, by inspiration, and it is useful for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. This prepares us for the good things that You have prepared for us tomorrow and this week.

So, God, we pray that as we look into Your Word today, the scripture that is here would apply to us in such a way that we are able to meet the things that You have prepared for us this week. Transform us by the renewing of our minds, and we ask, God, that You would show Your glory through us in this world. We pray in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen."

Amen. You can be seated.

As I've shared before, when I was about ten years old, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. By God's grace, I really think that it is by His grace that I've been able to overcome a lot of the difficulties associated with dyslexia. There are a number of people who, when I've said this, respond, "No, you don't have dyslexia; you've never had dyslexia." But really, a doctor said that was what it was, and I could see the effects of it as a child.

One of the major ways that I struggled with it was that when I would read, I would find that when I reached the end of a line in a book, I would track back and read that same line over and over again—sometimes three or four times. It was so frustrating, almost like a skipping record in my brain. I know we don't really have records anymore, but most of you remember the skipping records. In my brain, when I would read, it was as if it was just skipping over.

The only way to overcome it at that point was to put a piece of paper under each line as I went down, and that helped a little bit. Even still, I don't know what it was in my brain; I would go back, even with a piece of paper there, and read that same line again. It became so frustrating that I just wouldn't read. In fact, I'm ashamed to say it now, but quite honestly, I made it all the way through public high school without ever reading a book. God is gracious; I have read some books since that time.

As we come to Acts 22 through 26, this passage that we've been looking at over the last several weeks here at Cross Connection in this series called "On Trial," we encounter a kind of skipping record incident. This passage seems somewhat repetitive and redundant, as there is a restatement of the same things over and over again.

In Acts 25, and as we will see in Acts 26 in our study next time, Paul is once again standing trial before a group of people, declaring the same truths and sharing the same testimony. He is one who is not guilty of anything deserving of death, as we will see in this passage and as we have already seen. Here, he stands to give a declaration. He has already done this in this section of Scripture, Acts 22-26.

Paul stood before a Jewish crowd in Jerusalem back in chapter 22, and then he stood before the Jewish Council in the city of Jerusalem. After standing before the Jewish Council a third time, he gives his declaration before the Jewish Council with the Roman Governor Felix present. We saw that after he was before Felix, he was summoned again for a private hearing just before Felix and his wife, Drusilla.

In our study last time, we noted that Paul appeared before a second Roman Governor, a man by the name of Festus. The council came to charge him in that passage. Now, he is being called to stand not just before Festus, but before a whole gathered group of dignitaries, including the Jewish King of the region, Judea, named King Herod Agrippa II. This is the passage we will see next time as Paul gives his whole testimony.

However, here is the lead-up to that event. We have these repeats before a group of people: a crowd in Jerusalem, then before a council in Jerusalem, followed by a Roman governor, then before the governor and his wife, and then before another Roman governor. Now, he stands before the Roman governor and a king, along with the king's sister. History tells us that not only was Bernice the sister of Agrippa, but she was living in an incestuous relationship with him.

There are some crazy things going on in this whole situation in Acts chapter 25. If any of us were subjected to a similar sort of trial, we would find it quite overwhelming.

Of circumstance, I think that by this time, going through the same thing over and over again, you would feel as if it was just redundant. You get a little restless; if you're anything like me, you'd get completely stir crazy. When are we going to move on from this? When are we going to stop doing the same thing over and over again? When are we going to get a result from these hearings that seem to have no purpose behind them?

And so there's Paul, in the middle of this. This is now two years into this event as he stands before the crowd, the council, the governor, the governor's wife, and another governor, and now a king with his incestuous relationship with his sister. All these crazy things are going on, and there would be a part, I would imagine, in Paul—because he's human like us—that would be thinking, "Really? Again?"

Since I was in high school, I have been into graphic design and digital photography. I started using programs like Adobe Photoshop when I was in high school, and I worked for a time in a print shop as well. If you've ever used a program like Photoshop, you know that you can zoom in really deep into a picture. When you zoom in really close, you see just this grid of pixels. You can no longer see the whole picture. In fact, if you look on your sermon guide at the top, which says "On Trial," I actually did a little piece there like a magnifying glass where you see that grid of pixels. When you're deep in there, all you see are these squares of color, and you don't know what the picture is.

Sometimes our lives feel like that. We're so zoomed in, so locked in, so engaged in whatever's happening in the moment that we fail to see there is a bigger picture. Sometimes we need to zoom out; we need to step away from it and realize that there's something else going on here.

As was the case in Acts chapter 25, even though Paul is in this redundant, record-skipping sort of situation where he is just going over and over again before a crowd, a council, a governor, a governor's wife, another governor, and a king, there is a way in which you can get so myopic and focused on that little pixel that you don't realize something else is going on. Thankfully, Paul had a prophetic word from God many years before that included him in the reality that something else would be happening. If you would turn in your Bibles back from Acts 25 to Acts chapter 9, and as you turn those pages...

From Acts 25 to chapter 9, you're actually turning back in time nearly a quarter century—24 years. You're going back to the day that Paul was entering the city of Damascus. At that time, he was called by a different name; he was called Saul of the city of Tarsus. He was a Pharisee, a Jewish religious man who was trying to persecute Christians in the same way that the Jewish religious establishment was now trying to persecute him.

As he came into Damascus, he would retell this story in Acts chapter 26, so we will see it again in our study next time. He had an experience where he saw the Risen Lord. Although the Lord's glory was so bright that he couldn't see Him, all he saw was a bright light. We are told that he was one with a crowd of people who fell to the ground. Ultimately, he recovers from that moment, but he is blind. They take him into the city of Damascus, Syria, and he is there for three days, blinded and thinking about all the things he thought he knew about God and about the Scriptures, as now the Risen Lord Jesus Christ has talked to him on the road to Damascus.

While this is taking place, another man, a Christian in the city of Damascus by the name of Ananias, hears from God. God speaks to him and says, "Ananias, I want you to go and pray for this guy Saul; he’s praying." Ananias responds, "Lord, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ve heard about this guy; he’s a bad dude."

God says something to Ananias in Acts chapter 9, verse 15. The Lord said to Ananias, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine." Notice this: "to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My sake."

You see, when we take Acts chapter 9 and the word of God to Ananias for Paul, and then we look at Paul's trials in Acts 22 through 26, we realize that none of the things Paul was experiencing at this point in his life—the beating in Jerusalem, the trial before the Sanhedrin, the extradition down to Caesarea, the trial before Felix and Drusilla, and now Festus and King Agrippa—none of these things were happenstance. None of them were just coincidence. Every single one of these events was significant.

Ordered by the Lord decades before, God knew that it was going to happen. God planned that it was now that it was going to happen, and now it's coming to pass. All of those things—24 years—it's taken for it to come to this point, but God's word is being fulfilled. In Psalm 37, verse 23, King David says, "The steps of a man are ordered by the Lord."

Point number one on your outline in your sermon guide: our steps are ordered by the Lord. In some ways, as I mentioned a few minutes ago, I feel like this is a bit repetitive. It is a bit redundant because we've already talked about points like this in this series called "On Trial." We've already looked at this reality that God is at work behind the scenes, doing things when it seems like nothing is happening. But God is still at work.

Although this truth may be something we've talked about even in just the last couple of months, I think it's one of those simple and important truths that God wants to drive home to us. There are probably some of you here today who can get so zoomed in. Many times, that's how we live; we're fixed in on that little pixel level and we don't see the bigger picture. We don't realize that God is doing something, and yet our steps are ordered by the Lord—not just the steps of Paul, not just the steps of King David, but our steps are ordered by Him.

Now, I know in some of your translations, if you look back at Psalm 37, you'll see that it says, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord." You might think, "Well, yeah, Paul was a good man, but that's not me, so I guess that's not me who the Lord is referring to." However, that word "good" is not in the original language; it just says, "The steps of men are ordered by the Lord." So, God orders our steps.

There are things that happen to us, certain events that take place in our lives, where we can very clearly see the fingerprints of God, as if the Lord is doing something. You've probably experienced this. Maybe you're at work or on a school campus, and a friend comes to you and inquires about your faith or asks you to pray for them. You think, "Wow, I think that was the Lord."

Or maybe you've had this experience—I know I have a number of times. In fact, I remember a very specific time when this happened. I was driving down Ash and passing Valley Parkway, as you all know where that's at.

I was driving down the road when a friend's name popped into my mind. It was someone from high school whom I hadn't seen since then. As I was driving, I thought, "Oh, maybe I'll pray for him." Philippians chapter 1, verse 3 says, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you." So, I figured since I was remembering this person, I would pray for him.

"Lord, I don't know what this guy's going through, but You know. Maybe You brought him to my mind because You're doing something in his life or something has happened." I'm not kidding you; the following Sunday, I walked into the sanctuary, and there was Josh standing right by that chair. He had never come here before. When I saw him, I got that Goosebump feeling, you know, the hair stands up, and I thought, "Wow, that's the Lord."

You've probably had that kind of experience where someone comes to mind, and then you go somewhere and accidentally push the wrong button on the elevator, and the doors open to reveal them. You think, "Whoa, that was freaky!" That's the Lord.

There are events and times in our lives where we sense, "Wow, God is doing something; God is moving." But the reality is that this is the exception and not the rule. That's not how our lives are every single day. You might think I'm Mr. Spiritual, but if you ask my wife, she'll tell you that's not the case. I don't walk through life every day having those kinds of experiences, and neither do you.

When they do happen, we think, "Wow, that's cool! I wish it were like that all the time," but it's not. The reality is that many things in our lives seem mundane, just the day-to-day routine. Most of our lives are lived in that monotony, and many of the things that happen just seem like delays.

You know how it is when someone gets in your way, and you think, "God, get out of my way!" But maybe that's not just a delay; maybe it's a divine appointment. Perhaps God is actually working, but we're so focused and zoomed in on our own plans that we can't see it. Sometimes we need to zoom out and ask, "What is the Lord doing?"

If we truly recognize that God is ordering our steps, then when we encounter those mundane happenings and delays—every single one of us will have them—by 10 o'clock tomorrow morning, you'll likely experience five delays, no doubt, especially if you're driving down the 15 Freeway.

In those moments, could it be that God is ordering our steps? We can become so focused on the smallest details that we lose sight of the big picture. Sometimes, we find ourselves wondering if God is doing anything at all. What is going on here? Is He active in our lives?

A good reminder for us is point number two on your outline: God is working when no one is watching. In our last study of Acts 25, we considered that God's timing is often different from ours, and we all know that to be true. Because of this, we can sometimes begin to view God as distant and unengaged, as if He is indifferent to the things happening in our lives. We may even be tempted to ask, "Where is God?"

Even though the Bible says otherwise, we can fall into a pattern of thinking that aligns more with a deistic view of God. This view suggests that He created everything, wound up the clock, and then let it go, remaining somewhere far away in the universe, unaware of what is happening in our lives and indifferent to our struggles. However, the Bible reveals a different truth: God is a God who is personally and intimately involved in our lives. He loves us with an everlasting love and knows the number of hairs on our heads.

For some of you, that makes it easy to understand, but He is intimately involved. We often start to think that He is far away, unengaged, and indifferent, caring only about the big names like Billy Graham or the great glories of this world. Yet, the reality is that God is working when no one is watching. He is doing a work in our lives.

So, I encourage you this morning: don't allow yourself to miss the hand and handiwork of God in the mundane, in the delays, and in the repetitions of your life. I mentioned last week that sometimes our lives can fall into a pattern that feels like Groundhog Day, where everything seems the same all the time.

Over and over again, the same conversation, the same emails, and the same phone calls from day to day. He's like, "Is this ever going to change?" We must recognize that in the repeats, God is doing something. He is working behind the scenes; He is ordering our steps.

Acts 25:23 continues: the next day, Festus shares with King Agrippa. King Agrippa says, "Man, I think I'd like to hear from this Paul." Festus replies, "Tomorrow you shall hear from him." So now, the immediate next day, when Agrippa and Bernice arrive, I mentioned earlier that King Herod Agrippa II was the last of the family of the Herods. Part of the reason he was the last is that he had no children and never married. Most historians believe that he lived in an incestuous relationship with his sister Bernice, which is probably a good thing that they didn't procreate.

Now, Herod and Bernice come in with great pomp. I know probably not too many of you have used the word "pomp" lately, although it is graduation season, so people are playing "Pomp and Circumstance." So, what in the world is pomp? When you watch one of those award shows and see the red carpet with people walking in and the flash of cameras, that is great pomp. Here they come, all in royal regalia, walking in while everyone is saying, "Oh, Agrippa! Bernice!"

History tells us that Bernice was the sister of Drusilla. So, Drusilla, Bernice, and Agrippa are siblings, and history tells us that Drusilla and Bernice were gorgeous. Here comes Agrippa into the auditorium with great pomp, accompanied by the commanders and the prominent men of the city. The term "the prominent men of the city," when you dig down into that word, refers to the governors or the leaders over thousands. These are the leaders of Caesarea, the movers, the shakers, the power brokers of that city, and they are all coming for what? For Paul the Apostle.

Festus's command brought Paul in for an audience with this group, specifically to witness to the Resurrection. This is an awesome thing; I mean, it clearly shows the hand of the Lord in this situation.

History describes Paul as a short man with bowed legs, a high brow, and a big nose. He was in his sixties at this time. I've gotten into trouble for saying this in the past, but I see my dad in the Apostle Paul. It's a good thing, not a bad thing. Whenever I read the description of the Apostle Paul, I think of Rhonda Benedictus, my dad.

They bring Paul in and set him before them. Short history records that he may have had some sort of eye condition, with oozing eyes. He was not a good-looking guy. I'm not saying that about my dad; he's a good-looking guy. Just kidding—sorry, that's bad.

So, they bring in Paul. In this room, here's Paul, who is not much to look at, while the beautiful people are all there to see him. You have to imagine there’s probably a part of Agrippa that is thinking, "Really? This is the guy that everybody's all worked up about?" I almost get the sense—though it’s not stated—that when Paul came in, they were probably surprised.

They bring him in, and he stands before them. When God revealed the prophetic word to Ananias about Saul of Tarsus, who was blind in the city of Damascus, Ananias said, "Paul, you're going to witness of the Risen Lord to kings and to great people. You're going to stand before them." I wonder if it didn't pass through Paul's mind at that point in time, "Wow, Ananias, that's pretty far out. You're either a great man of faith or you have a real active imagination." But you know what else? After Paul's conversion in Damascus...

The Bible records that he lived in relative obscurity for about 14 years, doing really nothing for the Lord. He was in just kind of a holding pattern, just waiting. I wonder if during those 14 years it didn't go through Paul's mind that what he had been told wasn't really true. I wonder if he ever doubted that calling or that word that came during that time as he was waiting.

Point number three on your outline is that there is often much waiting for God's workers. While I'm often in a hurry—can anybody relate?—God rarely is, in my experience. The last time that God moved quickly was that whole sixth day of creation thing. However, there are many times when it seems like God is moving very slowly. It feels like, "God, what are you doing? Are you doing anything?"

Just as God is working when no one is watching, He is working in our waiting. Oftentimes, God is working in us and on us so that He can work through us. It is in that waiting where God is preparing us for future work.

But we're Americans; we hate to wait. Amen? We hate it! I mean, we have drive-through Starbucks, and if there are three cars in line, I’m not waiting. Forget it; I'm out of here! We don't want to wait, but God often has us in those times of waiting because He is working in us and on us so that He can work through us.

Would you turn in your Bibles to the Old Testament, to the book of Isaiah? Isaiah 40. You can turn about the middle of your Bible; you'll be in the Psalms, and then turn to the right to Isaiah 40. Isaiah is one of the largest books of the Old Testament, and there in chapter 40, many of you know where I'm going because you know this verse. You've committed it to memory, you've thought on it before, and you've even gotten it in a greeting card.

Isaiah 40:31 says, "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Those who wait on the Lord are going...

To receive strength from God, the person who is waiting upon Him will receive divine strength, His empowering, so that they can persevere and endure. You see that in the verse: they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. In the person who waits on God, He is strengthening them, readying them so that they can stand when the trial comes, when the difficulty arises. It is during those times of waiting that He is working in us, strengthening us, and building up endurance and perseverance so that we can be the ones who are ready to give a defense.

Another verse that is a real encouragement about waiting is found in Psalm 25, verse 3. There, David says, "No one who waits on the Lord shall be ashamed." I bet that many of us in this room today would admit that we are a little bit ashamed of our impatience. Some in this room would confess that they have been ashamed and even experienced ruin for rushing ahead of God. But no one who waits on the Lord shall be ashamed, as Psalm 25 says.

The application is clear and is given to us again by King David in Psalm 27, verse 14. He says, "Wait on the Lord; wait, I say, on Him." Why? Because those who wait will not be ashamed, and those who wait will receive strength. Those who wait will be enabled and equipped by God to persevere and endure. Wait on the Lord; wait, I say, on the Lord, as stated in Psalm 27:14.

In our waiting, God is working on us and in us so that He can work through us. In Acts 25:24, Paul was brought in, and Festus said, "King Agrippa and all the men who are present with us, you see this man? This is the guy I told you about. There he is, standing before you."

Bleeding eyes, it looked like he had a hard life. He has been beaten many times for his faith. He went about the whole known world on foot. Here’s the man you see before you, about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me.

Now, that word "petitioned" is an interesting word in the original language. It carries the idea of a siege, coming against the wall of a city. The literal picture is that the whole assembly of the Jews bombarded me. It’s not just like they said, "Hey, we’d really like to hear from this guy Paul again; can you send him up?" They bombarded me, both in Jerusalem and here, crying out that this man was not fit to live any longer. This is the guy they say is Criminal Number One, the one who needs to be dead the most—Saul of Tarsus, a.k.a. Paul the Apostle. Kill him!

So, the whole assembly of the Jews bombarded me, saying this guy should not live any longer. But in verse 25, when I found that he had committed nothing deserving of death and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him. I have nothing certain to write to my Lord; my Lord would be Caesar. This Roman man is acknowledging Caesar as Lord, "Kyrios" in Greek. I have nothing certain to write to my Lord concerning him; therefore, I have brought him before you.

Here’s the picture: Paul has stood trial before a crowd of Jewish people in Jerusalem, before a council in Jerusalem, before Governor Festus in Caesarea with another council, and before Felix and his wife Drusilla. Now, he stands trial before Festus and a council in Jerusalem. This is now the sixth time he is standing trial, and the only reason this event is taking place is that Festus needs to find a way out.

You see, he has received the appeal from this Roman citizen, Paul, who says, "I want to appeal to Caesar." He had the right, as a Roman citizen, to appeal to Caesar, but there’s no charge that can stick against this guy. Now, Festus has the odd job of sending him to Caesar, saying, "Hey, they want this guy dead," and Caesar is going to say, "Okay, let me see the case." Festus goes, "I got nothing." So, he says, "All right, Agrippa, you’ve got to help me out here. Here’s the guy, and I need you to help me figure out how to send this guy to Caesar and not look completely incompetent in my role."

The governor of this place is in a difficult position because there is no case against the Apostle Paul. He is going to present Paul to Caesar, who will likely ask, "Why is this man before me?" Festus states, "I found that he has committed nothing deserving of death, but he has appealed to Augustus. I have nothing certain to write about him." Therefore, he has brought Paul before King Agrippa, saying, "You are the man who can help me. After the examination has taken place, I may have something to write. It seems unreasonable to send a prisoner without specifying the charges against him."

This situation is striking. You have two pagan governors, Festus and Felix, along with three immoral members of the Jewish royal family who are living in carnality. Yet, they are more just and more willing to give an honest hearing to the Apostle Paul than the religious establishment, which includes the chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Sanhedrin. These two pagans and three hedonists are more just in their dealings with Paul than the religious leaders.

The Sanhedrin, the chief priests, and the members of the ruling council of Israel had bombarded Festus, demanding, "We want this guy dead!" However, when asked for the charge, they had nothing that would stick; they simply wanted him dead. Festus, a pagan Roman governor, states that there is nothing wrong here and that Paul has done nothing wrong. "I find no fault in this man."

This situation is reminiscent of another trial that took place over thirty years prior, where another man stood before a Roman governor, this time in Jerusalem. The Roman governor's name was Pontius Pilate. Pilate had Jesus examined under scourging, meaning they beat him, trying to find if there was anything he had done wrong that was worthy of death. After finding nothing, they stood the beaten Jesus before the gathered chief priests, and Pilate declared, "I find nothing wrong with this man." Yet, the chief priests shouted, "Murder him! Murder him!" or "Crucify him!" Regardless of how you look at it, it was the same thing: "I find nothing wrong in this man."

In light of this contrast, verses 24 and 25 present a remarkable juxtaposition. The whole assembly of the religious establishment bombarded me with demands to kill him, yet I find nothing deserving of death in him.

This brings us to point number four on your outline: let your conduct be holy and befitting the gospel. In the Old Testament, in the prophetic work of Micah, specifically Micah chapter 6, verse 8, we read, "He has shown you, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you: but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God."

This is what God requires of us: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk in humility. These three things—doing justly, loving mercy, and walking in humility—are what we, as followers of God, are called to embody. The representatives of God, including the chief priests, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees, who make up the religious establishment of Judaism in Jerusalem, should have exemplified justice, mercy, and humility. However, in reality, they often portrayed cruelty, haughtiness, and injustice.

It raises the question: why is it that many non-believing pagans can sometimes show more compassion and mercy than Christians? It certainly shouldn't be that way. We should be those who demonstrate justice in our lives. We do justice, we love mercy, and we walk in humility before God. Yet, many times, we get those things backward.

For instance, consider this scenario: you are driving down the freeway, going a little faster than the speed limit—okay, a lot faster than the speed limit. Suddenly, you catch a glimpse of what you think is a black and white vehicle. Instantly, your foot comes off the gas pedal; you never actually put on the brakes because you don't want those lights to come on. You just pull off the road and say, "Oh Lord, please have mercy!" But then, when the tables are turned, someone else goes...

You go, "Oh, I wish there was a cop." I'm not the only one. Come on! He is showing you a man what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

As we walk this path that God has ordered for us, we must remember that God prepared a path for you and for me this week. Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10 says we are His workmanship, created for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in. This week, there are things that God has ordered for you and for me. Even in the delays, the monotony, and the redundancy of life, He has created opportunities for us.

As we walk through the path that God has ordered for us, let us remember that God is working in those delays. He is ordering our steps behind the scenes and desires to reveal Himself through us. The best way for us to be ready for Him to reveal Himself through us is to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk in humility so that He can use us in that way.

Let us walk in a manner that is worthy of the Gospel. As Colossians chapter 1, verse 10 says, we should walk in a way that is glorifying to His kingdom. God, enable us to do that. God, work that into us.

Let's stand and pray in that way. Father, I confess that there are certainly times when I find myself wondering, "What are You doing? Are You doing anything?" Lord, help me to recognize that You are working, that You are ordering my steps, and that You have good things prepared for me to walk in.

Lord, help me to walk in those things this week. If I find myself, or if we find ourselves, Lord, in a place of waiting, I pray You would help us to recognize that in the waiting, You are working in us and on us so that You can work through us. Prepare us to be vessels, Lord—vessels of honor and glory for Your name.

Realize that you've grown frustrated with God's pace. Maybe you've even judged Him as indifferent. In your impatience, you may have rushed out in front of Him. This is an opportunity right now to repent, to confess, and to say, "Lord, I haven't trusted You."

Maybe it's a time to affirm or reaffirm your submission to Him as Lord. God, You are the one who rules over my life. If that's you today, as we sing the song in just a moment, you can confess your sin before God. Confess your impatience. The fruit of the Spirit is patience, so impatience is a work of the flesh. Confess your frustration and recognize that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He was raised from the dead, paying for them so that we can walk in righteousness.

He's already clothed us in righteousness, and because He has clothed us in righteousness, He has given us the power, by the presence of His indwelling Spirit, to walk in a way that is pleasing to Him.

So, God, would You have Your way with us? Would You work in us that we would walk in a way that is pleasing to You this week? God, help us to bring praise, honor, and glory to You, for You are worthy.