God Lifts You Up When Life Weighs You Down

When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him. Acts 21:27

Countless friends had warned the apostle Paul not to go to Jerusalem, and their worst fears come true shortly after he reaches the city. Religious opponents whip up a crowd against Paul. They seize him and drag him from the temple. A Roman commander intervenes moments before the mob kills Paul, but the apostle still goes to prison. The last chapters of Acts tell the rest of his story.

Life doesn’t always turn out the way you hope, and God doesn’t always make bad situations instantly better. Parents fight, and some divorce. Someone close feels a strange pain, then receives a deadly diagnosis. Your schoolwork overwhelms you, and you fail a class. What are you supposed to do when awful things happen that you can’t change?

As the crowd kept shouting “Get rid of him!” (Acts 21:36), Paul must have felt relieved to be bound and led to safety. He lets his captors know he isn’t a terrorist, and he stands up for his rights as a Roman citizen (Acts 22:25–29). Then he presses on to accomplish what he came to do. He tells his enemies about Jesus.

When life beats you up, God still has a plan and a purpose for every minute of your day. He hasn’t left you. He lifts you up if you let him. He helps you press on through life’s hardest circumstances.

Reflect

Reflect on a moment in your life when things seemed overwhelming — how did God sustain you? Are you going through a difficult time right now? Trust him to carry you through this current challenge.

Drawn from a devotional in the NIV Bible for Teen Guys.