I Am Ready

7 We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for a day. 8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'”
12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
15 After this, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.
Acts 21:7-16

Paul was warned twice not to go to Jerusalem. The first time was in Acts 12:3-4. “After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.”

The second time was with a graphic demonstration of what was awaiting Paul. In Acts 21:10-11 we read “After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'”

Paul was human like all of us. He felt fear, he felt worry, and perhaps sometimes he wanted to run away. In Acts 21:13 he asks the people who cared for him, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?” Maybe his heart was breaking not only because of their worry for him, but also because of fear in his own heart. But then he goes on with three important words: “I am ready”

Those three words are important for us to understand because they are both a gift and a challenge.

They are a gift because, as we walk with the Lord, we come to know that we can be ready. We all face hardship; we all know fear; and we all will face a day when we must leave this world. But Paul tells us in Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

But there is also the challenge: Are we ready?

Prayer:
• Are you ready for the difficult times that must come in every person’s life? Do you see God’s hand in your life and know that you can be ready? Pray for God’s gift to be able to say in your heart “Lord, I am ready.”