After saying farewell to the Ephesian elders, we sailed straight to the island of Cos. The next day we reached Rhodes and then went to Patara. There we boarded a ship sailing for Phoenicia. We sighted the island of Cyprus, passed it on our left, and landed at the harbor of Tyre, in Syria, where the ship was to unload its cargo. We went ashore, found the local believers, and stayed with them a week. These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem. When we returned to the ship at the end of the week, the entire congregation, including women and children, left the city and came down to the shore with us. There we knelt, prayed, and said our farewells. Then we went aboard, and they returned home. The next stop after leaving Tyre was Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed for one day. The next day we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven men who had been chosen to distribute food. He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy. Several days later a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea. He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.’” When we heard this, we and the local believers all begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. But he said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.”
Acts of the Apostles 21:1-13 NLT
It is all about following Jesus. In these verses Paul knew that he was supposed to go to Jerusalem, but one prophet told him that he would be arrested and bound; another told him that the Spirit said not to go. Who was right? Knowing the will of God is not an exact science, and there are great insights we can gain from these verses.
Paul was clearly convicted that he needed to go to Jerusalem. He had a vow, and we know from his letters he was carrying an offering from the church plants for the poor in Jerusalem. He listened to those around him, but nothing would change what he knew God wanted him to do. We don’t read anywhere that God gave him a vision or direct command; Paul just knew through prayer and thinking that God was leading him to Jerusalem – even if that meant suffering. The prophetic word wasn’t wrong, it was just not meant to stop Paul from his mission.
It is all about following Jesus. We know His will through prayer and His Word, godly counsel and reason, and history and circumstances. Most of all we know His will by walking with Him obediently in everyday life. We learn to know His voice. We learn that it is all about following Him, and we trust Him more and more. Even when His way is harder, it is always better. What is God asking you to do today? Will you make a promise to follow Jesus, even when it is the harder way?
