And now he was in prison, and his enemies, in their desperate malice, would resort to any means to put him to death. Could it be that his work for the churches was closed, and that ravening wolves were to enter in, not sparing the flock? The cause of Christ was near his heart, and with deep anxiety he contemplated the perils of the scattered churches, exposed to the persecutions of just such men as he had encountered in the Sanhedrim council. In distress and discouragement he wept and prayed. The Lord was not unmindful of his servant. He had guarded him from the murderous throng in the temple courts, he had been with him before the Sanhedrim council, he was with him in the fortress, and was pleased to reveal himself to his faithful witness. As on trying occasions several times before, Paul was now comforted and encouraged by a vision in the night season. Such as visitation had been granted him in the house of Aquila and Priscilla at Corinth, when he was contemplating leaving the city for a more safe and prosperous field. And now 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.” Paul had long looked forward to a visit to Rome; he greatly desired to witness for Christ there, but had felt that his purposes were frustrated by the enmity of the Jews. He little thought even now, that it would be as a prisoner of the Lord, that he would go to Rome. {LP 224.2}

Og nu var han i fængsel, og hans fjender ville i desperat ondskab, ville de gribe til hvad som helst for at få dræbt ham. Kunne det være at hans arbejde for menighederne var slut, og at hergende ulve kom ind, og ikke sparede hjorden. Kristi sag stod hans hjerte nær, og han overvejede meget foruroliget de farer de spredte menigheder var i, de retfærdige blev udsat for forfølgelser, ligesom de mænd han havde truffet i Sanhedrim-rådet. Han græd og bad i pinsle og modløshed. Herren var ikke ligeglad med sin tjener. Han passede på ham fra den moder-skaren i templets forgårde. Han var hos ham over for Sanhedrim rådet, Han var hos ham i den romerske fæstning, og han fandt det rigtigt at åbenbare sig selv over for sine trofaste vidner. Ved adskillige flere prøvende omstændigeheder tidligere, blev Paulus nu trøstet og opmuntret ved et syn om natten. Ved dette syn blev han tilsået Akvillas og Priskillas hus i Korint, hvor han overvejede at forlade byen for en mere sikker og fremgangsrig arbejdsmark. Og nu stod Herren ved ham og sagde: "Vær frimodig, thi ligesom du har vidnet om mig i Jerusalem, således skal du også vidne i Rom." Paulus havde længe set frem til at besøge Rom; han ønskede meget at vidne om Kristus her, men følte at hans mål blev forpurret af jødernes fjendskab. Endog nu tænkte han meget lidt over at han ville være som en Herrens fange, at han ville tage til Rom.