“One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.’ So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God” (Acts 18:9-11).
Paul was a spiritual giant who risked his life daily to preach the good news of Jesus to people who had not heard of Him. He was stoned and left for dead prior to this and had been beaten and thrown in jail in Philippi. No matter how courageous we are or how strong our faith may be, encouragement is always helpful.
Paul was in Corinth, and with his history of being persecuted for preaching, may have been nervous. The Lord came in a vision and addressed his fears. The heart of the encouraging word was, “I am with you.” That means everything. That leaves no room for fear and is all the protection anyone could want. That word freed him to stay in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching the Corinthians the word of God.
It is easy to look at our futures through the eyes of past experiences and be intimidated. Even the best of us, like the apostle Paul, can be nervous about what is going to happen to us. It would be good for all of us to hear these words today: “For I am with you.” This wasn’t just for Paul. Jesus said to all of us, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). If He is with us we don’t need to fear anything.
