Doubting God’s Miracles

June 9

(Acts 12:11-16 NIV) “Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating. {12}  When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. {13} Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. {14} When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!" {15} "You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel." {16} But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.”

(Matthew 14:25-31 NIV) ““During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. {26} When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. {27} But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." {28} "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." {29} "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. {30} But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" {31} Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?””

The church was praying for Peter’s deliverance, but when God answered their prayers, they doubted and were astonished that he showed up at their door. They were surprised by God’s miracle. We should never doubt God’s ability to do miracles. Our God can provide astonishing answers to prayer. However, we must be careful how we define the word “miracle”. Things don’t have to go our way for miracles to occur. They can happen, even when we don’t get what we want. We must abandon our self-centered approach to the miraculous. Miracles often go far beyond the limited scope of our personal benefit. An examination of Scripture will show that God’s miracles do not always include our personal well-being, or the well-being of those we love. Never doubt the ability of God to do miracles! Just be sure you don’t define “miracle” so narrowly that God cannot succeed. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

God’s Intervention

June 8

(Acts 12:6-11 NIV) “The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. {7} Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. {8} Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. {9} Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. {10} They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. {11} Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."

(Job 1:18-22 NIV) ““While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, {19} when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" {20} At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship {21} and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." {22} In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.””

God is sovereign, and sometimes chooses to interject Himself into human history. James was killed by Herod, but Peter was spared by an angelic visitation. We may question God’s fairness and sit in judgment of Him, but we do not view history from eternity. Why do we make deliverance from physical death the measuring stick of God’s power and love? Is personal survival really the only definition of God’s mercy? Is life here on earth really better than eternity in heaven? When we say at funerals, “They’re in a better place”… do we not really mean it? Perhaps James, not Peter, received the greater miracle here. When God intervenes and we survive, we should praise Him -- and when God doesn’t appear to come through, we should praise Him. God is sovereign, and we who believe are blessed, whether the angel comes to save us, or to take us home. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Earnest Prayer

June 7

(Acts12:5 NIV) “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”

(Psalm 107:28-30 NIV) "Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. {29} He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. {30} They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven."

(James 5:16 NIV) "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

If one takes enough Scripture out of context, they can come up with a guaranteed formula for achieving answered prayer. Prayer is often taught as if it were a matter of pushing the right buttons; after which God is obligated to grant our requests. This is a distorted picture of prayer. There is no guaranteed formula, but God does point to earnestness as a factor in powerful prayer. The church was praying earnestly for Peter, and God sent an angel to set him free. Does that mean that the church was less earnest in their prayers for James? No! God answers prayer in His way, in His time, and for His glory. We pray because God tells us to pray, and we want to be obedient. We pray because it makes a difference. There are too many great personal testimonies that point to the power of prayer for us to ignore. Never underestimate the power of earnest prayer. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

No Guarantee of Safety

June 6

(Acts 12:1-4 NIV) “It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. {2} He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. {3} When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. {4} After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.”

(Luke 14:25-33 NIV) ““Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: {26} "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. {27} And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. {28} "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? {29} For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, {30} saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' {31} "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? {32} If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. {33} In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.””

(Luke 21:10-19 NIV) ““Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. {11} There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. {12} "But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. {13} This will result in your being witnesses to them. {14} But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. {15} For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. {16} You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. {17} All men will hate you because of me. {18} But not a hair of your head will perish. {19} By standing firm you will gain life.””

Righteousness is no guarantee of safety. James was arrested and quickly executed by Herod for his faith. Peter appeared headed for the same fate. The disciples had no guarantee of safety. Thousands of believers in the book of Acts shared the gospel at the risk of their lives. Obedience, not personal safety, was the primary concern of the disciples. When Jesus said you must lay down your life for the gospel, He meant it. Today, many Christians want a guarantee of safety before they step out in faith. Forget about our lives, we are reluctant to sacrifice even our popularity. We must abandon the false teaching that our prosperity and popularity are God’s number one concern. Lost souls are His chief concern. He gave the life of his Son for them. Do we really think our lives are more important than that?  Being a disciple has no guarantee of safety. Be a disciple anyway. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day