July 6: 2 years, injustice and God's will

1 Chronicles 2:18-4:4
Acts 24:1-27
Psalm 4:1-8
Proverbs 18:16-18

Consider the injustice of it all. Ananias and Tertullus accuse Paul before Felix - but what crime it is they accuse him of is not clear, and they are unable to substantiate even the flimsiest of their accusations. Charges dismissed, case closed right? Not exactly.

Felix, it turns out, has heard of "The Way"...so this should turn out pretty well for Paul. Freedom, certainly, perhaps some restitution from Ananias and Tertullus for libel and false imprisonment, an invitation to dine with Felix. That would make sense, wouldn't it? Sure....

It gets even better! Felix sends for Paul a few days later, and listens to Paul speak about Jesus, Whom he has followed to the point of imprisonment and punishment. This is great! God's about to change another heart...

...but no. It would seem that, when Paul's testimony brought Felix to the point he was going to have to seriously question how he lived his life, he balked. Not only did he order Paul to stop, he reverted back to his old ways, hoping for a bribe. And Paul languished in prison for at least another 2 years.

In the eyes of man, this would seem to be a terrible injustice - and perhaps it is. But we are fortunate to know that what might not make sense to us certainly makes sense to Him Whose thoughts are not our thoughts, Whose ways are above our ways. There was a divinely ordained purpose to Paul's imprisonment - we know this because the Man Paul was following said as much: "you would have no authority over Me unless it had been given you from above".

There is a lot going on today that does not make sense. Modern day Ananiases and Tertulluses are quick to take Christians before the authorities who, in turn, like Felix, seek to curry favor from the local populace. The psalm today seems so true - "How long will you people turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?"

It can be frustrating - but we can take comfort from the phrase my parents taught me and my children recently: God's will is totally sovereign, gloriously redemptive, sometimes puzzling...but always perfect. And so the end of today's psalm is also true - "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety."