Resting In God’s Sovereignty Acts 24. 27 When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison. There is man’s story and there History, His Story. If we just see it as our story then it can be discouraging and even depressing. If we see it as God’s story, His Story and how we fit into it we will have such a different view. You can always tell if a person is a Christian by how they view History. One of the things about His Story is He is in control. Somehow He works all things together for our good. I don’t know how but He does. Psalm 37.7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; How often I have come to places in my life where I thought, it’s all over. This is the end. Only to find out that God is opening up new doors and doing new things in me and through me! This is my story, His story. He has a plan for our lives. Psalm 139.16     all the days ordained for me were written in your book     before one of them came to be. Ephesians 2. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. What did Paul do in those two years in prison? Prayed. Wrote letters to churches and one individual that we know of while there... probably more. Waited. God often has plans that we are unaware of. Interruptions are often His opportunities, a part of His plan. What appears to be an interruption is God’s Sovereignty at work. God is the ruler over the earth because whatever happens on the earth happens because God has allowed it to happen. And yet, in a narrower sense, Jesus recognized that Satan was ruling the earth at the present time. Now, Satan only rules because God allows him to rule. So in an overall sense, yes, God rules, but God in His rule has given man free moral agency, self-determination, the power or capacity of choice. God has allowed man to choose who he desires to rule over him. And the majority of men have chosen that Satan should rule over their lives. And God has not violated man's choice. He's allowed him to make the choice and then respects the choice that man has made. The bottom line is always, “God is in control.” I wonder if Paul would have felt the need to write letters if it were not for the prison. With his desire to travel and being cut out for it he would have preferred visiting those churches in person. We have learned to be much more effective in the Pandemic Shut down. Many things are staying with us, part of the work of ministry now. We are working with a new app called Larix Broadcaster which will enable us soon to broadcast Livestream to not only Facebook Live but our You Tube Channel and Instagram as well! Paul discovered he could cover more territory, encourage the churches and get the Gospel out more effectively than if he were “free” to travel. This was a restful time, if you are going to be in jail it might as well be on the Mediterranean! The Roman Government “sponsored” many things for the Gospel. Built roads for Paul to travel on, got Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem to have Jesus born there, was responsible for the Prison Epistles. You can read more about them here: https://www.gotquestions.org/prison-epistles.html Sometimes the LORD gives us glimpses into His plan, sometimes we cry out to Him like Jehoshaphat, II Chronicles 20.12 For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” We have those letters from Prison. Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon Philippians 1.12 Now I want you to know, brothers that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. I don’t believe that as Paul wrote those letters to the churches founded on his second missionary journey he was aware he was writing the Bible! He doesn’t mention his letter writing in that way. So we can be going about our daily lives, surrendered to a Jesus and not be aware that God is at work through us? Sure! We can just be writing or talking and our words carry much greater weight to a much larger audience? Of course. Then there our lives, the testimony of faithfulness. Almost 2,000 years ago they were penned, dictated by Paul. He did not realize that he was writing letters which would be come part of the Bible, the New Testament and form our beliefs, give us wonderful promises and reveal to us the mysteries of God’s Grace. He wrote to the Ephesians Ephesians 2. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. One of the works in advance that God prepared Paul for was the writing of these books, letters. He was writing encouraging and instructive letters to churches in the First Century. He would have been amazed if God told him that we would be talking about those letters 2,000 years later, basing the church upon them. We go through prison experiences. The virus has been one. So often we are prevented from doing what we desire only to find out God has a greater work for us. *Prayer is the greater work! Well, all that we can do is pray. It is there we meet the LORD. This is a time to cry out to God. *The greatest of faith, hope and love is love. We are placed by God’s Sovereignty where we can express His love the best. That is so often through painful places, painful times. Joseph... So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “You’re the man for us. God has given you the inside story—no one is as qualified as you in experience and wisdom.” Genesis 41.39 Joseph would have never been in such a position without his sufferings, his troubles with his family, his brothers. We want to be free from pain. That is normal. That is natural. Sometimes there is a way to escape but it may not necessarily be God’s way. He wants to take us on the Calvary Way, the Way of the Cross. We love comfort. My friend, Pastor Tim Lemont, whose Bible Study I shared on our Church Facebook Page this week, spoke about the Blessedness of being persecuted for righteousness sake. You would do well to listen to such things. In this time of media glut, a time of Netflix and Amazon Prime shows and movies, do not let the gems get away. I see this time as a time of opportunity like we have never ever had. A time when we can learn from the least of these. The day of large gatherings has been suspended. Who would have dreamed that the World Series would be played in near empty stadiums? Or the large churches would be at a disadvantage? God is speaking to America. He is calling on His people to pray, come aside with Him, learn of Him. I see it clearly. Don’t miss what He is offering you in this time when what we knew as normal has been replaced. The safest place for the Apostle Paul at that time was in that prison! Paul probably sat in prayer in the prison. I am sure he did. Then at one point in those 2 years of waiting he thought, “I am not going anywhere soon. I eventually will go to Rome. The LORD made that clear. I cannot visit the churches so I will write to them.” We have these letters, filled with the promises of God. I close with the benediction from one of those letters in Ephesians 3. 20. Now to Him Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.