.....courage

And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage Acts 28:15

On Malta, Paul shook the viper into the fire and kept serving, and God opened the whole island to him. After three months, he boarded another ship and continued toward Rome, the city God had promised he would see. Today we find him on the last stretch of that long road, and we discover what gave him strength for it.

Paul was still a prisoner, chained to a Roman soldier. He had survived mobs, plots, prison, a storm and a shipwreck. Now he was walking up the Appian Way toward Caesar's court, not knowing whether he would be freed or condemned. Even a great apostle can grow weary. The road to Rome was long, and the burden on his heart was heavy.

Then something happened that no one could have planned. News of his coming had reached the believers in Rome, and they set out to meet him. Some walked about forty miles to the Forum of Appius, others about thirty miles to the Three Taverns. They did not wait for him to arrive. They went out on the road to find him. These were believers Paul had written to but had never met, and now they stood before him in person.

Luke tells us what happened in Paul's heart: when he saw them, he thanked God and took courage. The chains were still on his wrists, and the trial was still ahead. Nothing in his circumstances had changed, but he no longer walked alone. God answered His servant's weariness, not with an angel this time, but with brothers and sisters who came out to meet him on the road.

This is how God often works. The same Lord who stood beside Paul in the fortress at night sends His people to stand beside one another in daylight. Ellen White calls us to this ministry: "Cheer him with brave, hopeful words that shall urge him on his way" Steps to Christ, p. 120. Somewhere near you, a believer is walking a hard road, tired and burdened. A visit, a phone call, a kind word may be the very thing that helps them thank God and take courage.

On Malta, Paul teaches us to shake off what would harm us and keep serving. On the road to Rome, the believers teach us to go out and meet the weary. Growing in grace means both receiving encouragement with thanksgiving and giving it freely, so that others may also thank God and take courage.