Wednesday August 19, 2020

Today’s Reading: Acts 12:1-11

Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from all that the Jewish people expected.” 

Acts 12:11

Meditation: God works in mysterious ways. Within the same week, the lives of two Apostles meet very different outcomes. James is martyred, while Peter is thrown in prison to be executed at a later time. As the believers are gathered in prayer for Peter, God answers in a miraculous rescue, which leaves Peter and the believers with no other explanation than that God has intervened in the lives of His people.

God works in ways that prove His Presence in our midst. He responds to every earnest prayer we utter to Him. Peter and the believers see through Peter’s rescue that God hears them and answers. Peter receives God’s deliverance to continue spreading the Gospel throughout the world, as well as the assurance that God is with him along the way. Even when God doesn’t answer as we expect, we can be assured that He answers in ways that are better. James’ death, for instance, ushers him into God’s Eternal Presence, a fulfilled promise that we each wait in joyful hope to experience for ourselves one day. The believers, like us, are reminded with the death of James and the rescue of Peter that God answers prayer according to His Will, not ours.

When we entrust our prayers to God, we can be sure that God will work in ways that are best. His work in the early Church assures us today of His faithfulness to fulfill His Plan. While we do not know what the future holds for us, reading about God’s miracles in the lives of Peter, James, and others reminds us that we can always entrust our concerns to God in prayer, and that we can trust in His mysterious ways.

Prayer: I praise You Lord God for all You’ve done throughout history that reminds me of Your Sovereignty. I praise You that in these works You help me see what You can also do in my own life. Thank You for leading me to trust in You, for showing me proofs of Your unending faithfulness. I pray that You help me live out of the assurance of Your Plan. Increase my faith in You, Lord. In Jesus’ Precious Name I pray, AMEN.

Thru the Bible in a year (credit: Biblestudytools.com): Acts 12; Joshua 15-17; Job 28