READ Acts 25
Felix vacates his office without resolving Paul’s status.

INSIGHT
How strangely God fulfills His own word: “So you must also bear witness at Rome” (Acts 23:11). Paul knows he will have to go to Rome, but he doesn’t expect to go under Roman guard and at Rome’s expense. After two years the Jews still thirst for his blood! Had he been transferred to Jerusalem, his life would have been imperiled. However, God had called him to preach the Gospel in Rome. Through these circumstances, Paul is transferred.

PRAYER
Let’s praise God for His wonderful ways:
Blessed be the Lord,
For he has heard the sound of my pleading.  
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in him, and I am helped.  
Therefore my heart celebrates,
And I give thanks to him with my song
(Psalm 28:6-7).

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin and in fellowship with Him:
Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses,
But we take pride in the name of the Lord our God.  
They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand firm.  
Lord, give victory to the king!  
May he answer us on the day that we call
(Psalm 20:7-9).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
But you are holy,
Enthroned on the praises of Israel.  
Our ancestors trusted in you;
They trusted, and you rescued them.  
They cried to you and were set free;
They trusted in you and were not disgraced  
(Psalm 22:3-5).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

• Careful speech
• Troubling current events
• Whatever else is on your heart

Finally, close with this prayer to the Lord:
I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters;
I will praise you in the assembly.  
You who fear the Lord, praise him!  
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
All you descendants of Israel, revere him!  
For he has not despised or abhorred
The torment of the oppressed.  
He did not hide his face from him  
But listened when he cried to him for help
(Psalm 22:22-24).