When God is Silent

While Paul knows that the Lord has pledged deliverance from the hands of the Jews with the promise that he will reach Rome, he is actively involved in escaping dangerous situations. While followers of Jesus are willing to die for the faith, they do not seek martyrdom. They accept help from outsiders, even from rather unlikely quarters, if it allows them to live another day—as witnesses of the Lord.

Acts 23 suggests the need to recognize God’s sovereign hand in all such experiences and to trust that he is working out his saving purpose through the negative and positive consequences of Christian witness.