Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Acts 17 before reading the devotional below.
Acts 17 contains one of the most brilliant moments in all of the Bible — Paul sees an opportunity to explain Jesus to a group of people who built an altar to an “Unknown God.” Paul’s mission is to prove to Jews and interested Gentiles that Jesus is in fact the Messiah they were expecting. God had promised a Rescuer for his people, and followers of Jesus believe that he was the one that fulfilled this role for all of history.
As Paul preaches in Athens (in modern-day Greece), he is participating in their practice of philosophical debate. Imagine no television, no internet, no electricity, limited mobility. The religious-minded and intellectually eager have just one thing to do: debate each other. And Paul lets them know that God is available to them and his Scriptures contain the answers to their questions.
Because God is so beyond our grasp, sometimes we feel like he is keeping himself hidden or he is looking down on earth from a great distance. We have all had those, “Where are you, God?” moments. But God will meet you in your questioning, he will prove himself to be faithful to you, and he will share his very nature with you since you were made to be just like him (see Genesis 1:26-27). Don’t just read the Bible, study it. Ask yourself, “What is God revealing about himself?” as you read each passage. Invite him into your moments of doubt and struggle. God will show up to anyone who honestly seeks to know him.