Nougat 17

Hello siblings

I’m back with you very quickly as yesterday’s Nougat was very late. I’m sorry for the delay, and I hope that receiving two in the short timetable will compensate. Here’s Today’s Holy Nougat

Acts 4:27-28 CEVDCI

[27] Here in Jerusalem, Herod and Pontius Pilate got together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel. Then they turned against your holy Servant Jesus, your chosen Messiah.

[28] They did what you in your power and wisdom had already decided would happen.

They acted in keeping with God’s Plan

The gathered congregation continued their prayer with further affirmation of God’s sovereignty. At this point, they moved from the general to the specific. No longer were they speaking about God’s involvement with many people’s lives; they attested to God’s role in their individual lives.

Self-Check

Can we see God at work in the rough patches of our lives? When we can’t, how does it affect the nature of our prayers?

Application

The congregation’s faith came from their experiences of God in their lives and the lives of other believers. We are not told that they had a special prayer meeting requesting God to act on Peter and John’s behalf, but their prayer suggests that it was a possibility. In their prayer, they lay the facts before God, despite knowing that God was already acquainted with what happened.

As they recounted the chain of events, we note that they connected the evil actions of the chief priests, Herod, and Pontius Pilate with God’s Plan for humanity’s salvation. It leads us to believe that if God could create good out of such a violent act, God can do the same in our lives. Thus, the evil we encounter may be part of God’s plan for us.

Jeremiah 29 echoes this principle. During the Exile, God’s message through Jeremiah to the Israelites reveals a God Whose plans sometimes seem evil. In verse 11, after encouraging them to seek permanence and establish community, YHWH tells the exiles that their situation was part of a bigger plan. And, despite how things seemed, they should realise that God’s plans work for the good of the wider community.

It’s the same sentiment that Paul later expands on in Romans 8:28. Despite writing to the Roman church from jail, Paul believed that God’s purpose was being fulfilled. In our own seasons of testing, we must also trust that God knows about our situation and remains in control. It is cause for gratitude in the worst of situations.

Point to Ponder

What should our praise and prayers look like when the world is closing in on us?

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May all we seek be found in Christ