The pastor and worship team at my church were used of God in crafting a service that reflected on the power of prayer to the God who never slumbers. Our text was Acts 21:1-14. In those verses, Paul is movin’ along on his missionary journey, Jerusalem-bound and the Spirit is moving in the people he meets, sending a recurring message: “nothing good awaits you in Jerusalem.”
This news is understandably distressing to the people who love Paul. Paul responds by saying, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
My pastor’s first proposition was to “resign” yourself to the will of God. Not “submit” or “surrender,” or some more spiritual word that doesn’t imply wearily and reluctantly giving up.