“Then Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are here, this is the man whose death is demanded by all the Jews, both here and in Jerusalem. But in my opinion he has done nothing deserving death. However, since he appealed his case to the emperor, I have decided to send him to Rome” (Acts 25:24-25, NLT).

When the Apostle Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, he had a hearing before the Jewish High Council. During his testimony before the Council, they began to argue among themselves and Paul was remanded back to prison in Jerusalem.

While in prison, God spoke to Paul in a vision and told him he must preach the good news of Jesus in Rome: “That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well” (vs. 23:11).

From that point forward, Paul did all he could to get to Rome even if he had to go while under arrest! So, when Paul had the opportunity, he claimed his right as a Roman citizen to have his case heard before Caesar (vs. 23:24-29).

God didn’t tell Paul when and how he would go to Rome, only that He needed Paul to go to Rome and preach the gospel. Even after Paul appealed to Caesar, he didn’t immediately go to Rome.

He was first taken to Caesarea where he spent two years in prison and had the opportunity to testify before two Roman governors and King Agrippa II. Later, he was shipwrecked at sea on the way to Rome and stranded on the island of Malta for several months (vs. 28:11).

Sometimes God just tells us a little bit about His plans for us. If He told us everything, then we would be overwhelmed or we would try to do it in our own way. So, God gave the Apostle Paul the big picture of what He wanted him to do, and left it up to Paul to be obedient to that vision, to find ways to follow and accomplish God’s plans for him.

Let us find out what God wants us to do and then spend our lives trying to accomplish it!

God’s plans for our lives may not always happen as quickly as we want and we may not get there the way we think. God may even take us the long way to His will. But, it’s a scenic route and God will show us much about Himself, His salvation and His glory along the way.

If you will follow, if you will obey, God will lead you on a life’s journey right to His will and make ways for you to accomplish it all along the way.

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. (Psalm 32:8, NLT)