Acts 5:36-41
But one of the council members stood
up, a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel, a teacher of God’s Law who was
honored by everyone. He ordered the men taken out of the room for a
short time, then said, “Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to
these men. Not long ago Theudas made something of a splash, claiming to
be somebody, and got about four hundred men to join him. He was killed,
his followers dispersed, and nothing came of it. A little later, at the
time of the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and acquired a
following. He also fizzled out and the people following him were
scattered to the four winds.
“So I am telling you: Hands off
these men! Let them alone. If this program or this work is merely human,
it will fall apart, but if it is of God, there is nothing you can do
about it—and you better not be found fighting against God!”
That
convinced them. They called the apostles back in. After giving them a
thorough whipping, they warned them not to speak in Jesus’ name and sent
them off.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
A friend shared a “Facebook
memory” of a beautiful picture of his house, taken during one of our
infrequent winter snowfalls back in 2010. The caption read, “This
weather is awful, I'll be so glad when it warms up!” Our forecast for
the coming week includes actual temperatures of 100 degrees and up…with
heat indexes in the 100+-degree range! I laughingly replied to my
friend, “Be careful what we wish for…right?”
In the case of this
passage from Acts 5, you have to know a little back story to fully grasp
its importance. I encourage you to go back and read the previous
verses and see for yourself how the Apostles were jailed for preaching
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And yet, an angel came and released them,
the Apostles returned to the temple to preach – and people listened.
The authorities were furious and wanted to punish the Apostles for this.
But a Pharisee named Gamaliel suggested that these men think about all
of this and not jump to a hasty conclusion.
Two things in
particular resonate with me about this passage…1) Gamaliel’s suggestion
that …“If this program or this work is merely human, it will fall apart,
but if it is of God, there is nothing you can do about it—and you
better not be found fighting against God!” and 2) the notation that the
Apostles were whipped and sent packing.
There are a lot of times
when we try to take matters into our own hands rather than wait for God
to work. As Gamaliel pointed out with a couple of examples, we
sometimes make a royal mess of things! We would be better served to
stop, look, listen…and proceed prayerfully. Often, it would be best if
we did nothing and gave God the time and space to work. I know this
goes against the nature of many of us…but as this passage points out,
“fighting against God is never a good idea.”
The other point has
to do with the punishment of the Apostles. If God could send an angel
to bust them out of jail, He could certainly have spared them the
whipping and exile. But there are times when God allows our faith to be
tested. He may let us endure the displeasure – and unkind remarks and
treatment – from others. He may not make every single person our friend
and ally. God wants us to rely on HIM…not others…and He never wants us
to become smug and arrogant. So sometimes, God challenges our strength
and resolve by allowing us to endure some discomfort. But He NEVER
deserts us!
This hit home with me today as I thought of some of
the unkind – and downright hateful – things that are being said and
posted in the heat of world events…particularly this presidential
election season. I reminded myself that I pray about these matters…but I
don’t always hand them off to God like I should. I also noted that not
everyone will agree with me, like me – or treat me kindly…and that’s
okay. As long as I am making every effort to operate within the will of
God…to listen for His voice - and follow His lead – He will bless my
efforts in the end, and all will be well.
“Be careful what you
wish for” is a good motto for all of us…with regard to everything from
the weather to politics to how we treat others in the name of Jesus and
represent His message. We must quit telling God how to handle things and
allow Him to implement His plans. And we must be willing to be
His agent - however and wherever He places us. I’m ready to go all in
with this...what about you?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label trusting God's answers and timing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trusting God's answers and timing. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for December 22, 2015
Job 37:24
And so we humans fear God,
because he shows no respect
for those who are proud
and think they know so much.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
There is often a fine line between asking God to answer our prayers…and telling Him HOW to answer them. One represents “fear and respect”…humility and confidence that God knows what He is doing. The other shows our “know-it-all” side…as if we know better than God how things ought to turn out in any given situation. Like I said, this is tricky – and in many circumstances it’s nothing short of a slippery slope on our part!
How DO we ask God to answer our prayers without trying to sway Him in a particular direction? One way is to pray, “LORD…may YOUR will be done – not mine.” Of course, we have to mean this when we say it – and this is often easier said than done. But we also must recognize that some of the things we ask for…healing, protection, a “good outcome”…are open for interpretation – and God may not deliver as we expected.
When my dad and brother were ill, I prayed for healing for both of them. And God did heal them and give them restored bodies – in heaven. I see that clearly now. Was this what I really asked God to do? Probably not. But I have come to understand how He orchestrated things even when I was thinking I knew a little too much. By the time my grandmother was in her last months on earth and expressing a desire to go Home to Jesus, my prayers were more humble…”Lord, when You are ready for her, we are ready for you to take her.” There were days when I asked, “Can’t Mam-ma please come home?” But even as I asked, I knew better than to try in the least way to tell God what to do.
I am a slow learner…but I am discovering that when I ask God for His will in situations and circumstances - and trust Him to deliver - things go so much better. I don’t mean to imply that the outcomes are always to my liking…and most certainly, God does not always answer on my timetable! But God has been so steadfast and faithful to me. He has blessed me and answered me. He has rescued me and restored me over and again. And I have grown in my reverence and respect for Him as a result.
I still have moments when I say, “Lord, we need a miracle.” But more often when I ask for this, I trust that God will deliver. I know that this may not come in the form or time that I expected – but He will deliver! There is a peace and comfort in this attitude. It can be very liberating not to be a “know-it-all”…to let go and let God have control.
Are you still trying to tell God what to do? Will this be the day that you fully surrender to His will and give Him your complete reverence and respect? Aren’t you ready to at least give it a shot and see what happens?
©2015 Debbie Robus
And so we humans fear God,
because he shows no respect
for those who are proud
and think they know so much.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
There is often a fine line between asking God to answer our prayers…and telling Him HOW to answer them. One represents “fear and respect”…humility and confidence that God knows what He is doing. The other shows our “know-it-all” side…as if we know better than God how things ought to turn out in any given situation. Like I said, this is tricky – and in many circumstances it’s nothing short of a slippery slope on our part!
How DO we ask God to answer our prayers without trying to sway Him in a particular direction? One way is to pray, “LORD…may YOUR will be done – not mine.” Of course, we have to mean this when we say it – and this is often easier said than done. But we also must recognize that some of the things we ask for…healing, protection, a “good outcome”…are open for interpretation – and God may not deliver as we expected.
When my dad and brother were ill, I prayed for healing for both of them. And God did heal them and give them restored bodies – in heaven. I see that clearly now. Was this what I really asked God to do? Probably not. But I have come to understand how He orchestrated things even when I was thinking I knew a little too much. By the time my grandmother was in her last months on earth and expressing a desire to go Home to Jesus, my prayers were more humble…”Lord, when You are ready for her, we are ready for you to take her.” There were days when I asked, “Can’t Mam-ma please come home?” But even as I asked, I knew better than to try in the least way to tell God what to do.
I am a slow learner…but I am discovering that when I ask God for His will in situations and circumstances - and trust Him to deliver - things go so much better. I don’t mean to imply that the outcomes are always to my liking…and most certainly, God does not always answer on my timetable! But God has been so steadfast and faithful to me. He has blessed me and answered me. He has rescued me and restored me over and again. And I have grown in my reverence and respect for Him as a result.
I still have moments when I say, “Lord, we need a miracle.” But more often when I ask for this, I trust that God will deliver. I know that this may not come in the form or time that I expected – but He will deliver! There is a peace and comfort in this attitude. It can be very liberating not to be a “know-it-all”…to let go and let God have control.
Are you still trying to tell God what to do? Will this be the day that you fully surrender to His will and give Him your complete reverence and respect? Aren’t you ready to at least give it a shot and see what happens?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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