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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Saturday, 27 April 2024:
Acts 12:1-3 — Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also.
Today’s readings in Acts instruct us on the relationship between prayer and God’s will. Herod arrested both James and Peter. James was executed while Peter was miraculously freed. Surely the disciples were praying fervently for both James and Peter, but still James was executed. Was God somehow powerless to save James or somehow indifferent to his fate? Of course not! Did God love Peter more than James? Of course not! James had been very close to Jesus. God commands us not to worry about anything but rather to pray about everything with thanksgiving, and when we pray in God’s will He will always answer (Philippians 4:6; Jeremiah 33:3). However, sometimes His answer is “no” or “not yet” for reasons we cannot understand but for reasons that are for a greater good than we could not possibly imagine.
The challenge for us, from our limited perspective, is to trust in God’s perfect love and faithfulness and to have faith in God’s Sovereignty regardless of apparent circumstances. This is hard. It was hard for John the Baptist when he was in prison. He undoubtedly questioned why Jesus didn’t miraculously free him from prison. After all, Jesus said that John was the greatest man he knew. Nonetheless, John was beheaded. Why? God did not say. Key is to pray with the understanding that, though you may not perceive it, your prayers are always answered by your perfectly loving Father – don’t doubt.
“Can you accept God’s will when His answer is no? If you are praying in God’s will, He will always answer you when you pray (Jer. 33:3). However, sometimes His answer will be no…. There are times when God wants us to persist in our praying until He has completed His work in us (Luke 11:5-8; 18:1-6). However, when God’s answer is no, it is futile to continue pleading for a yes. Some refuse to take no for an answer, insisting that if you pray long enough and hard enough, God will ultimately grant any request you make. It is an affront to your Lord to continue pleading with Him when He has clearly said no. The purpose of prayer is not to conform God to our will but to adjust our will to God. We must learn to trust God so that if He says no, we accept that His will is best.” (Henry T. Blackaby)
Acts 12:5, 14-15 — So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church…. Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!”
After the death of Stephen, and now James, the disciples, though praying fervently, could not really believe that Peter, chained and heavily guarded, would be freed from prison. When Rhoda reported that Peter was at the door knocking, the disciples said, “You’re out of your mind.” Why were they “astonished” when they saw Peter? Hadn’t they been praying to the Sovereign Father? Why, in this case, did they assume the answer to their prayer would be “no”? It is possible to be a “person of prayer” and yet not have faith. This robs you of joy and confidence. How would your life be different if you completely trusted God with your prayers? Pray that God will increase your faith to pray more fervently and to trust Him unconditionally. “He killed James the brother of John with the sword.” God did not prevent the murder of James yet expected the disciples to remain confident in their faith.
Do you pray expectantly, anticipating God to respond in miraculous ways? Or have past disappointments hindered your prayer life? “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18) “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to His will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” (1 John 5:14, 15) We don’t always know God’s will in a matter, but the Bible calls us to pray in faith and to wait expectantly. Anticipate, “Yes,” and have no doubt that “No,” means something far more wonderful than you ever imagined.
“You are out of your mind.” The disciples prayed for miracles but did not really believe that God would answer their prayers in a miraculous way. How do you suppose the death of James affected the disciples’ hope? Is your faith so weak that you are surprised when your prayers are answered as you requested?
“As a child of God, you ought to expect God to answer your prayers. Do you ask God to do something without adjusting your life to what you are praying? If you are praying for revival, how are you preparing for its coming? If you are praying for forgiveness, are you still living with guilt? If you have asked God to provide for your needs, do you remain worried and anxious?
Ask God to increase your faith and then begin living a life that reflects absolute trust in Him. Out of His grace, God may choose to respond to your requests despite your lack of faith, but you will miss the joy of praying in faith.” (Henry T. Blackaby)
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 27 April 2024: Today, pray in confidence, expecting God to do God-sized things in your life. Rejoice in knowing that God hears all of your prayers and lovingly answers them in accordance with His perfect will for your life. Walk boldly in that confidence and glorify Him with your joy and peace.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 