They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

— Acts 12:22-23

Here Acts helps us again to stand in awe of God. King Herod had set himself up on his throne like a god. What he wore and what he said would have prompted the people to say that he was a god, not a man. And let’s not forget that they wanted something from him: peace and food.

Well, the king did not give due praise to God, so he was struck down and eaten by worms.

But let’s be careful not to pass judgment on King Herod so quickly. We may not have a throne to sit on or royal robes to wear. We may not even have one person following us. But sometimes we play God in our own lives.

Excessive worry is one way we do that. Worry is a signal that we are taking over God’s role of being God in our lives. It’s as though we hold tight to this thing as if we have control over it—but of course we do not.

As anyone who worries excessively can tell you, there is very little contentment and joy in living that way. When we try to sit on the throne of our lives, taking God’s rightful place and not opening ourselves to trust in him, we set ourselves up for trouble. Though we might not be struck down or eaten by worms, we can endanger our very souls. We need to stop playing God and let him guide us into full life.

God, you are better at running my life than I am. Help me to give you my life today. Amen.

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

— Acts 12:5

When there is a problem, I tend to go into fix-it mode. I want to find the solution and make it happen.

Things were intense for the church in its early days, and we’ve been exploring some of that. We have seen today that King Herod was cruel and cunning. He had put pressure on the church and had killed the apostle James, and he liked how that made him popular with the people who had gotten Jesus crucified. So Herod arrested Peter and put him in prison too. It’s almost comical that Herod used four squads of soldiers to guard him.

Did you notice the church’s response? Did they jump into a strategy meeting on how to get Peter out of prison? Nope! They did what came naturally to them—they prayed. Don’t you love that? And it’s not a prayer qualified with the word “just.” We sometimes do that when we pray, “God we just ask . . . .” But these people earnestly sought God with passion.

Sometimes when I’m having a tough moment, I try to sort things out in my own understanding. Prayer gets sidelined as an afterthought. I wonder what it would be like if we grew a response muscle that moved us to turn to God first. I’m sure it would help us see things differently. Maybe we wouldn’t be so overwhelmed. Maybe anxiety and worry would have less of a pull if we stopped trying to fix it first.

God, may turning to you be my first response in tough times. Forgive me when I don’t boldly make my requests to you. Amen.

Some of them . . . began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.

— Acts 11:20

Sometimes, when you find yourself in a moment of oppor­tunity, you need to make a bold move. After Stephen was martyred, the believers scattered. It may seem odd, but that is one way the good news began to spread into other regions. God is so powerful that he can bring good results even out of bad things that happen.

Today, many of us don’t look at persecution in a way like that. We tend to think of it as something that will ruin or destroy faith. But as we can see in this passage, the church can thrive despite persecution—and this still happens in parts of the world today.

The point of this passage is that some believers, led by the Spirit, made bold moves and proclaimed the good news to people outside the faith. Their boldness was not of themselves; it was due to the presence of God in their lives.

When we face tough times, we often need to step back and trust that God will create the opportunity for us to step in and be bold. Sure, it might seem like a risk at the moment, but it might otherwise be more of a risk not to take the bold step.

As the Spirit of God nudges us in our Christian living, we get to know more of his work in us and through us. It takes time to discern such moments. It might also take wisdom from others to speak into our situation and ask, “What is keeping you from making a bold move?”

Father, fill us with your Spirit so that we might be bold—not in our own strength or doing, but in yours. Amen.

While Peter was still speaking . . . the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.

— Acts 10:44

One thing we learn from passages like this one in the book of Acts is that Peter and other believers did not create these moments. It was all the work of the Holy Spirit. Remember when we said earlier that Acts is all about the Holy Spirit? Well, we see the Spirit on full display here.

Peter and the others were simply led by the Spirit into these moments of pure awe. Who could have imagined the Spirit filling Gentiles so powerfully here that they began “speaking in tongues and praising God”?

We need to consider that if we try to create a certain kind of worship experience, or we aim for certain results by just following some model of doing church, we are relying on our own strength and understanding. But if we rely on the Spirit for direction, there is great power. It makes me smile that in this story Peter, who was a guy who liked to make things happen, had very little to do with the outpouring of power here. He was simply being a witness, and while he “was still speaking,” the Spirit of God came on the scene with life-changing power.

Surely there are times when we need simply to trust that God has a better idea or plan, and we need to be open to the leading and the power of the Holy Spirit. This is where awe resides.

God, too often I try to make things happen in my own strength and my creativity. Help me to trust that you have a better plan for your amazing work in people’s lives. Amen.

The church . . . enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

— Acts 9:31

I remember going to visit a town near our home and being surprised to find a Corvette show going on. I was excited to check out all the beautiful cars on display. From older ’Vettes to new ones, those cars were something to behold.

When I think of the church (no, not like a Corvette), I think of it as something of beauty. Sure, it has scratches and dents, and of course it has an ugly side because it’s made of people—but I think the church can be so stunning.

When Saul (Paul) became a follower of Jesus, he was committed to making sure the church was something to behold.

This verse for us today is worth reading a few times. The newly formed church of Jesus was a place of peace and was being built up. I think of a high-rise building being built floor by floor—and before you know it, the beauty is revealed. The people (the church) walked in the fear of God and multiplied.

The building-up of the church wasn’t about slick programs or clever preaching. The hearts of the people were aligned with God, and they were encouraged by the Holy Spirit. They had a deep sense of awe as they walked in step with the Lord, and they made sure God got the glory.

God, forgive us for seeing the church through the wrong lens at times. Guide us to focus on the right things that will help us grow. Amen.

“Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on [Jesus’] name?”

— Acts 9:21

Maybe you have heard of the apostle Paul, but did you know he was also named Saul and had a nasty past? He felt that he was doing God’s work by putting Christians in prison, and he even watched approvingly as Stephen was stoned to death (Acts 7:58). Saul began using his Greek name, Paul, when he became a witness for Jesus to Greek-speaking Gentiles (Acts 13:9).

Despite all of Saul’s nasty intentions, Jesus stopped him in his tracks and turned his life around. That was shocking to many of the people who had known Saul before. The Lord changed his life and gave him a new purpose. God would use him powerfully to invite Gentiles (non-Jewish people) into his kingdom.

We can feel spiteful sometimes about people who cause trouble in our lives, but the power of Jesus can transform them from being angry, hateful, and vengeful to sharing God’s love, kindness, and peace.

Imagine how it felt for people who knew the persecutor and then saw him preaching about Jesus as the Savior (Messiah). Saul was proclaiming the grace and power of the one he had fought hardest against.

This is the power of the good news!

God, search me and find any areas in my life that you need to turn around. Help me to see how you want to repurpose my life for your glory. Amen.

“How can I [understand],” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?”

— Acts 8:31

I wonder if Philip saw that moment coming. The Spirit of God surely did.

Some years ago our family lived in a community of townhouses. We knew we were there for a greater reason than simply to raise our two young sons. We were called to be an example to the people around us of what Jesus was like.

We prayed for various families around us. We hoped to gain a sense of whom God was working on. One day, though, a neighbor from a ways down the row of houses stopped my wife and asked, “Can I ask you some questions about church and faith?”

We didn’t see that coming! We hadn’t prayed for her. But that didn’t mean God wasn’t working on her.

In fact, God is working on all kinds of people all of the time. He may even be working on a person you least expect. So don’t be surprised when that coworker who annoys you sits down at the lunch table to ask what’s different about you. Or when a classmate who acts like they have it all together asks you to pray for them. Somehow they know you have a connection with God.

What would happen if we began every day knowing that God has already been at work in the people around us, some of whom we might talk with that day? How could that change the way you go about your day?

God, you work in mysterious ways. Give us eyes and ears and the right words to say so that we can be your witnesses everywhere each day. Amen.

Yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.

— Acts 7:57-58

Stephen had just spelled out the story of God’s promise to Abraham. He explained how God had made a covenant with his people and had fulfilled it (Acts 7:2-50). Then he charged the high priest and the rest of the ruling establishment with the murder of “the Righteous One,” Jesus Christ.

And at that moment Stephen’s day got much worse. The religious rulers were enraged. They were so angry that they dragged him out of the city and stoned him.

Have you ever seen someone going through a tough time and wondered, “I don’t know what I would do if that happened to me”? Here’s a wonder and awe moment in the story of Stephen.

As they pressed him, Stephen understood the power of God’s presence with him. He saw heaven open, and he found comfort.

When we face tough times or when it feels like the world is against us, that can actually be a moment when we can know the peace that surpasses all understanding. A time like that can be hard and trying, but it can also be an opportunity to draw close to Jesus.

People have said that perhaps the best question to ask in tough times is not so much “Why?” as “What are you revealing to me, God?”

O God, help me to see a bad day or a tough time as an opportunity to draw close to you. I often fall prey to focusing only on myself. Instead, help me to see you and to serve you faithfully. Amen.

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

— Acts 6:7

Look at the last part of today’s verse again: “a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” This had never caught my attention before.

I had to do some digging to better understand the impact of this “large number of priests.” There were about 18,000 priests living among the Jews at this time. Wow! Their role was to serve in the temple, an actual physical space. Day after day they had priestly duties for taking care of the needs of the people around them. The task was enormous and exhausting.

A large number of those priests were drawn to faith in Christ because they saw a group of people sharing the load of caring for the poor among them—and this was clearly not being done out of obligation. Jesus’ followers were doing this out of genuine love. That falls ­directly in line with being “devoted,” a trait we pondered a few days ago. As Jesus’ followers served diligently to meet people’s needs, many of the priests also found their way into this new community of faith.

Of course, the church needs to balance its inward care with reaching out to others, but if the church becomes known as a community marked by care and love, that is something beautiful that others want too.

Lord, what role do you want me to fill in your community? How can my gifts and passions help to shape the community of faith so that others may come to know Jesus? Amen.

“Choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them.”

— Acts 6:3

We don’t often enjoy tension. Whether it’s in an organization, a business, a family, a friendship, or even a church, tension can really mess with things. But what if we can refocus the tension and see if it creates a new opportunity?

Things were getting a bit tense in the fast-growing group of Jesus’ followers. Feelings were hurt, some people were left out, and some of them began to complain. Another word for this is “grumbling.” If you have heard the story of God’s people wandering in the desert after being freed from Egypt, you know that it did not take long for them to start grumbling (Exodus 16).

What unfolds in this moment in Acts is an opportunity to decentralize the responsibilities of serving. The community has grown so large that it’s time to appoint leaders who can help take care of some needs that aren’t being met.

When we take time to sit in the tension, we are able to see new opportunities. It’s easy to grumble. It’s also easy to find some people to grumble with. But if we step back and look at things from another angle, we might see an opportunity to start something beautiful.

Too often in my life I have let the grumbling get in the way of what God may want to teach or reveal to me. How can we reframe what we are going through? What new thing might arise from the tension?

God, please help us break free from complaining, and let us see what new things you are trying to teach us. Amen.