2 Corinthians 11:30-33

2 Corinthians 11:30-33  If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.  The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying.  In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me.  But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands. 

Acts 8:1  And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.  On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 

The imagery of Paul being lowered in a basket from a window to escape the governor of Damascus is quite a dramatic one, yet somewhat perplexing.  Why didn't Paul and the believers in Damascus just ask God to prevent the governor from harassing Paul, so Paul could walk out the front door?  Didn't Jesus say, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.  Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?"  (Matthew 7:7-10)  Is the above scene at Damascus one clouded with unbelief?  Are these believers and Paul faithless?  Don't they know Jesus' words?  And why did the Christians in Jerusalem scatter?  Why didn't they just pray for God's safety and remain in Jerusalem?  

Many of us in America, especially in the media church, would say, they should have had more faith; they shouldn't have had negative thoughts; they should have created a positive reality with their WORDS OF FAITH.  And for sure, if they lacked faith, they should have tarried longer in prayer until they had enough faith to believe God would protect them.  This is the ministry that many "prosperity preachers" preach today.  If this kind of ministry is valid, Paul would not have had to be lowered out the window, and the Jerusalem church would have not been scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.  Prayer is important, prayer moves God's hand, but prayer does not supersede God's providence, nor does it always change the consequences of a sinful world.  Christians work within God's economy.  We work within HIS WILL, not ours.  Do bad things happen to good people?  Yes, the above scriptures reveal that.  Sin is in the world.  But God made something good come out of both situations.  Paul's escape allowed him to further propagate the gospel to the Gentiles.  Many Samaritans became Christians because they heard the "good news" from those who escaped Jerusalem.  In both difficult instances, faith was in action, even in the fleeing.  They wanted to live another day to testify of the "good news."  

Paul and the Jerusalem Christians escaped to safer places so they might survive to spread the gospel another day.  The gospel has, and always will be, spread by faith in ACTION.  Paul would not have gone from one town to the next if he felt that Jesus was not the Savior.  This strong belief motivated him to travel many dusty roads and many long miles to preach the gospel to the barbaric Gentiles.  In fact, his faith was so great he was willing to do anything to further the gospel of Christ, even allowing himself to be lowered in a basket from a window, not a very pleasant or positive experience for anyone.  In Samaria the people heard the gospel from fleeing Christians who were full of faith in spite of their negative flight from Jerusalem.    

We see in the above difficult situations that something good came from them.  Evil did not win the day, for God is on a mission of doing good.  Well then, what about our ask, seek, and knock verses?   We ask, seek, and knock for the living bread, HIS LIFE in us.  Jesus said these words while giving the Sermon on the Mount.  He is telling us that we should ask, seek, and knock for his life, his characteristics, his will.  And He said, we will receive as a child would receive good things from his father.  We will receive his likeness through the fulness of the Holy Spirit.  What then will happen in our lives?  We will live our lives for Christ regardless of the circumstances, for we will hear his voice in us; we will hear him say, "I will be with you regardless of the city or the circumstances.  I AM LIFE ETERNAL."  Will things always be the way we want in our lives?   No, but we can be confident in his provision: He will make good out of that which was meant to harm us, for we are his children of faith.  And by faith we will run from city to city, sharing the gospel message, until we reach the eternal City of God.