Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 23:11

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 23:11
"And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome."

There were certain Jews that vowed to neither eat or drink until they killed Paul. The chief captain had the soldiers bring him into the castle for his protection. It was that night that the Lord came to him. What must that have felt like for Paul to have confirmation from the Lord himself of how he had testified of Him? The last time the Lord visited him it was on the road to Damascus.

It reminded me of Alma the younger, and how the same angel appeared twice to him. First, when he was with the sons of Mosiah going about to destroy the church. The angel appeared and told him to stop trying to destroy the church or he would be cast off.

"Now I say unto thee: Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of Helam, and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in bondage, and he has delivered them. And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off.
And now it came to pass that these were the last words which the angel spake unto Alma, and he departed."
(Mosiah 27:16-17)

The second time the angel appeared it was when Alma was preaching in the city of Ammonihah and had been cast out. Interesting that the messages for both Paul and Alma are to have cheer, and rejoice there is more work to do.

"And it came to pass that while he was journeying thither, being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul, because of the wickedness of the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, it came to pass while Alma was thus weighed down with sorrow, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him, saying:
Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it unto you."
(Alma 8:14-15)

Day 4165