Hands On The Rope

"What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool... If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord." - 2 Corinthians 11:17, 30-33 & 12:1 ESV

Can you picture the blocked gates and the many hands of the people that loved Paul and held the rope of that basket?

Paul needed people. He would not have survived without them.

Acts chapter 9 gives the account this way...

"But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket." - Acts 9:22-25 ESV

There are traps we end up in where the exits are blocked.

Only many hands on a prayer rope are the answer. Only the provision found in a calling will provide the way of escape.

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen." - Galatians 1:3-5 ESV

This provision is given to 'us' and we can often find it alone on our knees for our personal issues but there are certain logistical issues that require the provision to be found in 'us'.

It's Sunday and I'm going to go be with people.

We will sing and worship. We will hear a fresh portion of Christ centered truth and who knows what we will escape from just because we spent that time there.

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