And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. 2 And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3 When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo. 4 And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed 6 and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home.
7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day. 8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. 10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”
15 After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.
How are you at saying, or better yet, praying, “Thy will be done.”? That can often conjure up images of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, praying that somehow the bitter cup of suffering that was before him might not have to be taken. “Father, if you are willing,” Jesus prays, “take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) It was certainly an urgent prayer. Sweat as drops of blood fall from his forehead. He prays that prayer three times. But it is not to be. The Father’s will, was to crush Jesus – stunningly horrific as that may be.
This was prophesied in Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief.” Isaiah was writing of the Suffering Servant, Jesus, the Savior. It was God’s will to crush Jesus so that we might be forgiven, redeemed, and saved.
Now this is being played out in the life and ministry of Paul. Paul will not die as our substitute. His death will not forgive our sins. He will not rise three days after he dies. But Paul’s fate and future path will take him to Rome. He will be bound. He will be arrested. He will be in prison. And just as Jesus prayed, “Your will be done,” Paul has confessed that he is, “ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
We must hear “for the sake of the name of the Lord Jesus” as for our sake. Paul will write letters to the churches in Ephesus, Philippi, Colosai, and to Philemon from his Roman prison. Those letters are a treasure trove of insights about the Christian life, and of profound theological truths. These letters have blessed God’s people down through the ages.
God’s will may not always be harsh or difficult. Sometimes it can be pleasant. He wills that his children love and honor one another. He wills that children are treated with love and compassionate care. He wills that all people be saved. When we see these things happening, we can rejoice in the goodness of God’s will. But even when God’s will takes us to difficult places, we can be sure that God’s will is ultimately and always good. So, indeed, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”
David Bahn - Reflections 
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