And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, "We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near." Acts 23:12-15

Even though the Lord used the Roman civil authorities to rescue Paul from the Jewish mob, and even though the Lord encouraged Paul that He had plans to use him in Rome, that did not eliminate the opposition. Let us be reminded that while the Lord is in control and has plans for our lives, opposition not only continues to exist, it may even be intensified.

We must not make our plans, or worse, give up altogether based on whether opposition exists. Instead let us train our eyes on God’s Word, His promises, and His steadfast love. Let us trust that “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You [the Lord] shall condemn” (Isaiah 54:17).

Our responsibility is to continue to forge ahead, trusting and following the Lord.