So on the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pump and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.
– Acts 25:23
I wish we could build all of this more, but just picture the scene with me. Here’s King Agrippa dressed in royalty, a purple robe, golden crown, all his rings. Bernice decked out beside him. Festus and his scarlet robe reserved for special occasions. A full house packed into this audience hall. It’s watching the king and the governor come in flanked by an honor guard of soldiers and high-ranking officers. Every prominent person in Caesarea is present from legionnaires to politicians. And then finally, after all this pomp and pageantry is complete and the people are sitting silent. Festus stands up and says, “Bring in the prisoner.”
Acts 25:23 Narrates a Collision Between the Powers of this World and the Otherworldly Power of God
After a long pause, this unassuming Jewish man with what 2 Corinthians 10:10 calls, a weak bodily presence, slowly walks into the hall. What a scene. This Paul is standing before all these officials, and oh, there’s so much we could talk about in this chapter. But as I read this verse, I think about Jesus telling his disciples, “You’ll be brought before kings for all kinds of people in high positions. Don’t worry in that moment about what to say, because I’m going to give you my words to say by my Holy Spirit in you.”
What an awesome reality. Paul was not alone in that moment, and Paul was not dependent on himself. You had all this worldly power in front of Paul, yet he had other worldly power inside of him. The Holy Spirit in him giving him the words to say. And the most obvious application of this is for any of us who may find ourselves in difficult situations, even before leaders with opportunities to testify to the gospel. The Holy Spirit will be with us in these moments. He will give us words to say. Jesus promised it, and he will be faithful to his promise.
Acts 25:23 Encourages Us to Seek and Trust the Power of God in Our Lives
And at the same time, I do think there’s application here really for every place God leads us. I’m guessing some of you in your life right now are at a place where you didn’t see yourself at this place. And maybe you don’t want to be in that place where you are right now. Maybe you’re struggling and maybe you’re not sure what to do. Or maybe you feel overwhelmed. Maybe you feel like you can’t do what God has called you to do. And by that even just make it through the next day sometimes. And I just want to remind you, you have otherworldly power in you.
So God, I pray that over all of us. As we think about any point in the future where you lead us for leaders, governors, kings, presidents, or just any kinds of authority. And particularly if we are being brought for having spoken truth about you or being accused in some way because of the gospel in our lives. We pray with confidence that you will provide it for us in that moment. Everything we need. Including the words to say. God, we pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world who are facing those kinds of moments today.
God help them. May they know they’re not alone. Please give them everything they need. We intercede for them right now. And God amidst whatever we’re walking through, amidst every circumstance represented in each of our lives as we’re praying this Lord, we trust in you. We praise you for your Holy Spirit in us.
Praying for the Nafana Banda People
We pray that your Spirit would lead, guide, direct our thoughts, our desires, our words, our decisions. God, we praise you for never leaving us alone. And we praise you for your promise to give us everything we need in the moments we need them.
God, we need you in all kinds of ways right now. And we’ll need you in all kinds of ways tomorrow. We praise you for your promise to be our provider in every single moment, to give us new mercy, every single morning. And God, we pray for the spread of this mercy, this confidence by the power of your Spirit to all the peoples of the world.
We pray today specifically for the Nafana Banda people of Côte d’Ivoire, and of Ghana, over a hundred thousand of them. Oh God, please bless the small number of believers that there are among the Nafana Banda people. Give them boldness, give them strength, give them everything you gave Paul in Acts 25 for the spread of the gospel through them. We pray for our brothers and sisters, that small number of them among the Nafana Banda people, strengthen them by your Spirit for the spread of the gospel through them. Just like we read in Paul and Acts 25:23, we pray all of this according to your Word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
