Acts 26:2-3 (ESV)
“I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.
The lives of God’s servants are in God’s hand. He moves us about to accomplish His divine plan. His divine plan is that people hear about the risen Christ and God, through Christ’s provision, can provide man with the holiness of God in order that they might worship Him in purity. That is the entire plan of God since creation. God wants creatures who worship Him in holiness. To make that possible God had to provide holiness to mankind. To provide that holiness Christ came to pay the debt. But, that message had to be told to lowest and highest of mankind. God selects mankind to be the messengers of that plan. In the above verse we read that God is putting Paul in a tough situation for one reason: To proclaim the message of hope to authorities of the land.
God created, in the life of Paul, a path for Paul to tell the most powerful people of the land about the hope in Christ. King Agrippa was one of those dignitaries. Note what Paul tells Agrippa as he defends himself against false accusations:
Acts 26:6-8 (ESV)
And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?
God brought conflict into Paul’s life to put him in front of this king. His role was to use this conflict for the purpose of furthering God’s plan. How did Paul handle this rough patch in his life? He recognized that this was God’s plan and he was going to be obedient to it.
Acts 26:19-21 (ESV)
“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.
God is weaving our lives according to the working of His great plan. He puts us in situations (whether easy or tough) to declare His glory and to offer mankind holiness to worship Him. We can reject the conflict that comes into our lives or we can recognize that God has not put us on this earth for our creature comforts, but rather that we might declare His marvelous plan in our lives.
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