Observation: Paul is on his journey back to Jerusalem, and multiple times several believers beg him not to go, and prophesy of the danger of returning to Jerusalem given his reputation among the Jews. Here in Caesarea, a man named Agabus goes one step further, practicing the old Jewish tradition of telling a prophesy through roleplay, by binding himself with Paul's own belt. The fact Paul will be arrested by the Jews and turned over to the Romans for prosecution is no longer a fear, but a foretelling.
And how does Paul respond? Does he tell them he has received a different message from the Lord? Does he disagree and think he will find a way out? Does he even say that yes, he will be arrested, but he has faith God will free him? No, he does none of these. Rather, he effective responds with ... 'Yup, I know, it'll be unpleasant and I may even die, but that's okay as long as I'm obeying the Lord.'
Paul will be assaulted and insulted by the Jews, arrested and turned over to the Romans, prosecuted before regional leaders, and transferred to Rome itself for a full trial. He will live at least another three years and will never be a free man again. However, his mission will never change or falter. He will write some of his greatest letters during this time, and as a result his ministry will grow from "successful recently in Asia minor" to "successful globally for all eternity." This happens because - right here and now, with the clearest of all prophesies declaring he will be arrested - Paul says ... okay, then the Lord's will be done.
It's almost as if he knows hardships are always on the horizon (civil riots, public curses, arrests and beatings), and he's better with the idea of knowing what the hardship will be rather than walking into the unknown issue over and over.
Application: My family is sitting right now with concerns about the future unknowns, and it is taking a toll on us, but especially my wife. She wants 'control' and is praying about that, for she knows that is a lesson she is trying to learn. Maybe the real human need isn't control of the future, but just knowing it.
Yes, control of the future is great (though an illusion). However, knowledge is almost as good. Paul's lesson is that even knowing the bad future is better than not knowing.
We would like to know when and where our son will find employment. I would like to know if and how I can be successful at my job. We would all like to know where and when we might move on from this region. The truth is, all of these future conversations have downside, however we really just want to know.
Prayer: Lord, we have said over and over again, thy will be done, and we mean it. That said, it would be nice to know that will. Please, Lord, may your will place favor on our son most of all, very soon. Amen.