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Waiting to Learn; Learning to Wait

Waiting to Learn; Learning to Wait
Words of Faith 8-9-16
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2016
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
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Acts 25
Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, [2] where the chief priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. [3] They urgently requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. [4] Festus answered, "Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. [5] Let some of your leaders come with me and press charges against the man there, if he has done anything wrong."
[6] After spending eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. [7] When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove.
[8] Then Paul made his defense: "I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar."
[9] Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?"
[10] Paul answered: "I am now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. [11] If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!"
[12] After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!"

We don't really know much about Paul's time of imprisonment in Caesarea. We don't know much about the ministry that took place there apart from these trials. Paul may well have written some of his "prison letters" (Ephesians, Colossians, or Philemon) from Caesarea or they may have been written from Rome.
It is difficult to imagine that Paul did not write at all for two years unless this was strictly forbidden. He may have had ministry to disciples allowed to visit with him. Paul may have had some freedom in Caesarea because of his Roman citizenship. What we do know about this time was that it was a time to wait!
Paul went through his fourth trial before Festus the new governor. When Paul realized that there was a conspiracy get him back to Jerusalem in order to kill him, he invoked his right to a trial before the emperor in Rome. Under Roman law, every Roman citizen had the right of "appeal to the Emperor" if accused of serious crimes. This was to prevent local governors from brutalizing the Roman citizenry. This was Paul's final "Ace". He had held onto this final option for two years while imprisoned in Caesarea.
This raises a question. If this "right" would finally get Paul to Rome, why did Paul wait for two years before exercising this right? We can only assume that Paul was prayerfully awaiting the direction of the Spirit.
Can you imagine waiting for two years while imprisoned, the whole time knowing that you had the ticket to Rome in hand? Yet this is what Paul did! He did not rush the timing of the Lord. He did not hurry even though he knew the destination the Lord had for him. He patiently waited in Caesarea until the timing was right and the Lord directed him to play this final card.
Waiting may well be the most difficult call of God! Waiting for the right time. Waiting for the right place. Waiting for details to unfold in the way that God desires.
We pray and pray, and sometimes God says, "Wait". In our modern culture, waiting may be our poorest quality and least learned skill. We want things to happen now and fast! But if we are to be obedient to the Lord we must learn to wait.
Perhaps as Paul waited he meditated upon this classic word from Isaiah, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:31)."
Does God have you in a waiting-mode? Are you wondering whether to push ahead or not? Are you anxious for the next part of God's plan to unfold? Don't rush it. Listen to the Lord before moving ahead even if you know where He wants you to go. Wait. Allow the Lord to renew your strength.

Lord, help me to settle down and wait on You. Minister to me as You will to strengthen and prepare me for what You have ahead. Don't let me fall behind Your timetable but neither let me run ahead. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2001, 2016
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.