Acts 20:2, 7-12
2 While there, he encouraged the believers in all the towns he passed through.
7 On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord’s Supper. Paul was preaching to them, and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight. 8 The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many flickering lamps. 9 As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he fell sound asleep and dropped three stories to his death below. 10 Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!” 11 Then they all went back upstairs, shared in the Lord’s Supper, and ate together. Paul continued talking to them until dawn, and then he left. 12 Meanwhile, the young man was taken home unhurt, and everyone was greatly relieved.
Past couple of weeks have been quite trying for our family. Deteriorating health of aging parents. Faith life wavering. Loved ones living their lives in darkness, walking separated from Christ, forgetting how God had faithfully led us, defended us, provided for us, blessed us. It is painful to see your loved ones struggling to cope with life's demands, and our interventions seem to be futile. It has a way of wearing one down. But it is in my lowest points that I have experienced God's grace pick me up and reassure me with his gentle whispers that no matter what, he is keenly aware of me and will see me through to the end.
The passage above picked my spirit up as I had been praying for God to intervene on behalf of someone who is very dear to me. I have been speaking to a friend trying to encourage him to look on the bright side of life, reminding him of where we once were, where we were today, to see how what we thought were impossible, God had made them possible in our lives. I would remind my friend of God's mercies that we had received in the past and to have faith that the same God was going to be there for us when we get to the next impossible juncture in our lives. It seemed that no matter how much I tried and had been praying the results were not there. I would get angry at my friend and it tears my heart to see what's happening to him. One day, late last week as I was desperately praying to God about the futility of my efforts, asking God for guidance, the passage above was bracketed out by the Holy Spirit.
As we read this chapter and the preceding ones, we see a Paul beset by difficulties, enemies, death threats on his life, but here he was as he fled the plots and attempts on his life, he kept on encouraging the believers in all the towns he passed through (Acts 20:3). This is our duty as Christians, be encouragers, encouraging others regardless of whether the times are good or bad for us. The remaining passage (Acts 20:7-13) shows how Paul was speaking to believers in Troas, but there was one young man, Eutychus, to whom the message was not doing anything. He was not paying attention to Paul. The young man was bored, he fell asleep, and fell off the window sill of the third floor apartment and died. Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. There was tenderness, affection, love in the actions of Paul as he bent over the young man, took his limp body in his arms and prayed over the lifeless body. There was no anger in Paul that the young man had not been paying attention to his preaching, though Paul had sacrificed a lot to be there to preach to the believers of Troas. There was no - "he deserved what came to him for not paying attention" - nor any - "this was God's punishment for wasting his apostle's time." Only tenderness and love, a sincere concern to restore a life that apparently was lost.
My feelings were not the same. I was angry at my friend for his unbelief, but sincerely pained that he was not seeking out God. I was praying to God for intervention, as I felt that I could be speaking to my friend encouraging him till I turned blue in my face, but it only seemed to produce very temporary results. He would pull himself together, promising to try harder to get out of the funk and next day find himself again at the bottom of the pit. As I prayed earnestly in hurt for God's help and to show us both his grace, his gentle whispers guided me here in these passages. I will continue to encourage my friend, in love, with patience, praying for him as he is dear to me and believe in God for a deliverance in his time. Lord we need your grace!
