What Might Have Been

“And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.” Acts 26:31:32

Paul had a tremendous burden for the Jewish people. In his missionary journeys, he always went to the synagogue first when he arrived in a new city so that he could preach the gospel to the Jews first. It troubled Paul that so many of the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah, and he wanted to do whatever he could to change that. Because of this great burden, Paul had determined to go back to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost so that he could witness for Christ while many Jews from around the world were gathered there. Paul continued toward his chosen destination in spite of warnings from other believers and the calling that he had received from the Lord to go to the Gentiles (Acts 22:17-21). The Lord said to Paul, “As thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome,” (Acts 23:11). God was directing Paul’s path. When Agrippa heard Paul’s case, he determined that Paul could have been set free, and he would have been, except for the fact that he had already appealed to Caesar. Paul’s unusual circumstance shows us that sometimes what we would assume to be the most desirable outcome in a given situation is actually not desirable at all. God is able to use adverse circumstances and even our own mistakes to guide us toward His purpose.