“Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me.”
— Galatians 2:1 (ESV)
When Paul references this fourteen-year gap, it’s easy to read right past it. But those years—largely hidden from our view—speak volumes. Imagine what God was shaping in him during that time. This was no wasted season. Paul, once the fiery persecutor, was becoming the faithful apostle.
We don’t know much about those years, but we can be certain of a few things: Paul was living, serving, proclaiming the gospel, and deepening his intimacy with Christ. He was walking in obscurity, learning obedience, and strengthening the foundation that would carry him through the missionary journeys and letters that still shape the Church today.
It’s a reminder that faithfulness is not only proven on the big stage but in the hidden places. Paul was faithful in the “silent years,” and when the time was right, God brought him forward again.
For you and me, those seasons of waiting, obscurity, or seeming inactivity may feel wasted—but they are often the very soil where deep roots of faith are planted. God is at work in the unseen years, preparing us for the assignments to come.
The principle? Faithfulness is forged over time, not in a moment. Paul’s hidden years remind us: what God does in you is just as important as what He does through you. Stay faithful, even when no one else sees.
And that’s the mid-week memo.
Steve
