Following Jesus When the Cost Is High: Trusting Without Perfect Understanding

What do you do when God calls you to something hard? Something that doesn't make sense? Something that scares you? And what do you do when the people who love you most are begging you not to go?

That's exactly where Paul found himself in Acts 21. He knew God was leading him to Jerusalem. He also knew suffering awaited him there. And everywhere he went, people who loved him—people filled with the Holy Spirit—were pleading with him to reconsider.

Spiritual Direction Doesn't Equal Perfect Understanding

Acts 21 lists city after city on Paul's journey—Kos, Rhodes, Patara. These aren't random details. Each city poses an implied question:

• Kos (home of Hippocrates and medicine): "Will you trust me, or place your hope in human attempts to avoid suffering?"
• Rhodes (site of the Colossus): "What sort of power are you depending on—mine or fragile human achievement?"
• Patara (location of a famous oracle): "Is my spiritual direction enough, or do you need a religious feeling to keep going?"

All together, they ask: "Do you trust me enough to follow even when you don't have perfect understanding?"

To know and follow Jesus, we must often sacrifice our desire for certainty and clarity, choosing to stay the course even with unanswered questions.

Difficulty Isn't Always Disobedience

Acts 21:4 says, "Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem." But Acts 20:22 says, "Compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem." Wait—is the Spirit contradicting Himself?

No. The Spirit has been doing one consistent thing: telling the truth. Everywhere Paul goes, the Spirit warns that suffering awaits. But He's also telling Paul to go. The confusion happens because Paul's friends assume the warning means he should turn back. But Paul understands differently—these warnings aren't reasons to retreat; they're truth to help him prepare.

Obedience does not always lead us away from difficulty—sometimes it leads directly into it. Not every hard thing is God's calling, but we can't assume hardship means we missed God's will.

Our Stories Fit Into God's Bigger Story

Acts 21:8-9 mentions Philip the evangelist and his four prophesying daughters. By cycling back to Philip (from earlier in Acts), Luke paints a picture of how interconnected Paul's life was with God's Kingdom story. This isn't an isolated unfortunate event—it's a continuation of the story that's always been unfolding.

In the middle of your suffering, you're supposed to see how your spiritual journey connects to God's Kingdom story throughout Scripture. You're not alone. You're part of something much bigger.

This Week, Try This

1. Bring your unanswered questions to God. What are you uncertain about? What feels unclear? Instead of demanding answers, ask God for the faith to trust Him in the uncertainty.
2. Don't equate hardship with disobedience. Are you going through something difficult? Don't automatically assume you're off track. Ask God, "Are you using this to prepare me or redirect me?"
3. See yourself in the bigger story. Read a story from Scripture of someone who trusted God through suffering (Job, Joseph, David, Jesus). Let their faithfulness encourage yours.

Following Jesus When It Costs

Here's the bottom line: spiritual direction doesn't always equal perfect understanding. Difficulty isn't always a product of disobedience. And your story fits into God's bigger Kingdom story—no detail is wasted.

At Indy Metro, we're a community learning to follow Jesus even when it's hard, even when it doesn't make sense, even when it costs us something. We're not perfect, but we're committed to trusting God together. And we'd love for you to join us. Come as you are this Sunday. Let's walk this costly, beautiful path of discipleship together.