Acts 23:11
And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, "Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome."
In Paul's darkest hour the Lord meets him again, in a jail cell and lifts him up with these words of promise and encouragement. The promise, "you will bear witness of Me in Rome," meaning Paul will not die in his current circumstance - he is just in protective custody so to speak. The encouragement, not only did our LORD stand by him but spoke to him, "be of good cheer."
I'm sure, as you look carefully back over your lifetime, you could find an example of, "divine protection" - an outcome you just can't explain or, maybe you witnessed this in the life of someone else. I have witnessed many of these kinds of moments, both in my life and the lives of brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. In those moments, God meets with us - He stands by us and gives us hope and encouragement.
As here (in our text) with Paul, our Lord frequently becomes most real to us when we're in the midst of darkness - when we are discouraged and defeated, when things appear hopeless. It is during these times that I have seen the Lord most clearly. So, be of good cheer brothers and sisters. Even in our darkest hours, He is faithful still, for He can not deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13). God is on the throne.
The Truth
"The LORD is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one." (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
