Acts 20 | Encouragement in GoodbyesSample

Unexpected Encouragement

Have you ever had the experience when an out-of-state or out-of-country friend or family member you haven’t seen in a long time takes a detour in their trip to stop by to spend time with you? It can be an unexpected joy. A surprise that makes you feel significant and valued. Even though you may have communicated through letters, emails, texts, and social media, it just doesn’t replace being in the same place together.

In Acts 20:13-17, Paul was in a rush to get to Jerusalem before the holiday of Pentecost. (Think rushing to get home for Christmas.) He didn’t have time to stop in Ephesus, even though he had deep relationships with the Ephesian church. Time just didn’t allow a detour. Instead of just passing by unnoticed, he got word out to the elders in Ephesus and asked if they would meet him in Miletus instead. Even when circumstances would not allow him to go to them, Paul still took the time to encourage them.

What an encouragement that must have been to those leaders! What an encouragement it must have been to Paul when they arrived. Tomorrow’s devotional will cover the content of what Paul said to the elders, but what’s important for today is that each of them took the time to pause and consider each other.

There’s a story in Mark where Jesus is rushing to the house of a synagogue ruler named Jairus because his daughter was dying, but Jesus paused when a bleeding woman touched his cloak. At first, that pause looked catastrophic to Jairus’s daughter. But that pause changed this woman’s life forever. And despite the pause, Jairus’s daughter was still healed. Never underestimate the power of a pause for the sake of another.

Take the time to pause to encourage those around you. It’s filled with blessing, and may be more powerful to a person than you realize.