Resting in God’s Sovereignty
In today’s Bible reading*, King Herod kills James and holds Peter in jail, ready to present Peter to the Jewish leaders after the Passover. Herod assigns four squads of Roman soldiers to guard Peter. This might seem to be an overkill. Why would King Herod assign sixteen Roman soldiers to guard an unarmed, unassuming peasant? Well, there was the case of the apostles’ deliverance from captivity in Acts 5:17–26. Obviously, Herod believed there was something special about Peter and he wanted four soldiers at a time, in rotating shifts, to keep their eye on him 24/7.
Peter didn’t know what awaited him. But he had eyes to see how many soldiers were assigned to him. Wasn’t he worried? Wasn’t he concerned that this might be his last night before meeting a fate similar to James’?
No. No, he wasn’t concerned in the least. In fact, Peter’s sleeping so peacefully, when the angel appeared in his cell, he had to strike Peter to wake him up. Peter was certain that God was in control. As a result, he rested comfortably that night.**
Application
Whatever you’re going through, how sure are you that God is in control? Do you have incomprehensible peace? (Philippians 4:7) Take God at His Word. Know that He is absolutely in control, regardless of how things may look. Realize that despite how things may look, your world may not be falling apart. It’s falling into place.
*Note: Insomnia and anxiety can be brain chemical issues. Yes, God can fix brain chemistry without medicine, but there should be no more shame in taking medication for these issues than for taking any other kind of medicine. If you have anxiety and insomnia, pray. And seek medical attention if God sovereignly chooses to not heal you without it. I’ll address miraculous and medical therapy when we get to our reading in Acts 28. Stay tuned!
* Today we are reading Acts 12.
This devotional was originally published on February 7, 2020.
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