Pray the Word with David Platt is a resource from radical.net.

Acts chapter 24, verse 27, says when two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porteous

Festus, and desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

I read that and I think, so two years, Paul is left in prison because this leader Felix wants to do the Jews a favor.

And I think about Paul, and obviously we don't know this from the text, but I put myself in Paul's shoes and I've just got to wonder if

he's thinking, why am I stuck here in prison? Like I could be out preaching the gospel. I could be

out planting churches. There are so many things that need to be done, things that I could be doing,

that I know God would be glorified in.

So why has God in his sovereignty allowed for me, even ordained for me to be in prison during

these couple of years?

I just think of all the questions.

And I imagine Paul's praying for release. Paul's

praying for the spread of the gospel. I mean, he wrote the church at Rome saying, I want to come

with you, help get the gospel to Spain because they haven't heard the gospel there. And yet those

plans that Paul had are being thwarted here as he sits in prison. But in the middle of it, I imagine Paul

trusting that God has a bigger plan in the middle of it all. And I think about my own life. I think

about your life. Obviously, I don't know all that's going on in your life, but I'm guessing there are times,

and some of you may be in one of those times right now where you wonder why this or that is happening around you,

why you are enduring this or that challenge, and why it doesn't seem to end, why for years it continues even.

And this text just beckons us to pray with trust in God and trust in his plans.

So, God, I pray this for my own life.

I pray this particularly for people who are walking through trials right now that don't seem to

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