In Acts 21-22, Paul encounters a mob of people in Jerusalem who are very angry with him.The mob is made up of Jews zealous for the law and, from their view, Paul teaches things contrary to the law. In short, Paul is a threat to these Jews’ way of life.
A Roman official hears what is going on with Paul and has Roman soldiers go to get Paul. They have to carry Paul through the crowd because the people were so violent. Imagine having that many people mad at you. Paul hadn’t done anything to wrong them, either, even though the ideas he preached threatened their way of life.
Even though he probably should have been scared in this situation, Paul didn’t seem to show it. He didn’t beg the guards to protect him or go run and hide. Instead, he asked to speak to the crowd.
When he began to talk, the crowd quieted down, even though moments earlier, they had been demanding that he be taken away.
Paul shared his testimony with the people. Many of them were probably still furious with him for what they called blasphemy. However, because Paul was brave enough to stand before the crowd and share his story, the gospel was spread that day.
Why did Paul do it, though? Why didn’t he run and hide? Most people wouldn’t have had the bravery to speak to such a violent crowd, especially if that violence was directed toward them.
You see, Paul had once been one of them. Before he was Paul, an apostle and servant of Christ, he was Saul, a persecutor of Christians. He played a part in the imprisonment and sometimes even the death of Christians before he had an encounter with God and became a Christ-follower himself.
The people who were persecuting Paul weren’t much different than what he had been like just a short time ago. His old self would have wanted the same thing as the crowd.
Since Paul had become a Christian, he had become a new creation in Jesus Christ, but he still remembered his old life. Because of that, he had empathy for people who should have been his enemies.
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, “ (Matthew 5:44 ESV)
God used Paul’s story in a unique way. Paul understood his persecutors in a way not many other Christians could. When he was Saul, he did many evil things, but God used that life experience for good later on.
God can use your life story for good, too, whether it’s similar to Paul’s or nothing like his.
When you go through a tough situation, you may wonder, “What is the point of this?” You may be in a waiting season when it’s tough to be patient. Any number of experiences and challenges could be shaping who you are.
But though we don’t always see the purpose of our situation while we’re going through it, we can rest assured that God always uses the story of his children for the better.
Paul may have wondered why it seemed like God allowed him to waste years of his life as a Pharisee instead of following Jesus. But God had a purpose for that, just as he has a purpose for whatever you may be going through.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 ESV).