June 11

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols. — Acts 17:16 BSB

A believer in God can't look at how the world treats sacred things without feeling deep pain.

Athens was a city full of idols—there were said to be more gods than people. It wasn't easy to confess Christ in Athens, surrounded by visible displays of idolatry everywhere. Yet, that was exactly where the true God needed to be proclaimed, and Paul was God's only witness there.

It's not enough to speak for God only where His name is respected, where most people are already friendly to Him. If we do that and then shy away from speaking His name where people are hostile, we've failed in our loyalty.

In Athens, Paul spoke words the people had never heard before. He proclaimed the one true God in a place where hundreds of gods were worshipped. He declared God as spiritual and unseen, while the people worshipped physical statues.