#soap # Acts 20 ## Title: Trusting God in Looming Trouble ## Scripture: (Acts 20:22-24) “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem without knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit warns me in town after town that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. But I do not consider my life worth anything to myself, so that I may finish my task and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.” (NET) ## Observation: In my own life, I have noticed that it is one thing to trust God when all is going well and another to trust God in the middle of a difficult storm. When things are going well, we trust God because it is easy. When things are going terribly, it is possible to trust God because we really do not have any other option. But, perhaps the most difficult time to trust God is when I see trouble coming, and it appears as though the Lord is not going to keep me from it. There are many times when we pray for God to spare us from trouble, but we have this deep feeling that the Lord is not going to take it away. An example would be when we know there is a difficult conversation coming with a friend who is walking away from the Lord. We do not want to be the one who has to confront this friend, but God has placed us in their life for a reason. Perhaps this was a little of how Jesus felt in the Garden. He asked for reprieve from the Cross, but said, “Not My will, but Your will be done.” That is a difficult prayer to pray. This is what Paul was facing. He knew that if he continued to obey God, difficulty was on the horizon. However, he decided it was better to face a storm with God, than to live in the light without Him. The same is true for us. ## Application: Is there a storm brewing in your life? It’s okay to ask the Lord to keep you from it. However, always remember to trust the Lord no matter what. If He allows it, He will be with you through it. ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for never leaving us. Not even for a moment.