March 16: Following His Guidance.
HIS WILL.
When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod."--Acts 12:11
Visiting the Garden of Gethsemane was one of the most profound experiences of my life. As I walked among the olive trees, I remembered the Savior's prayer: "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42). Being there, in the very place where Jesus surrendered to His Father's will in order to save me...well, it was more than I can describe in words. And God did answer Him, because He always does. Yet it was not His will to remove the cup, because there was no other way to save us.
When Peter was imprisoned by Herod, the church kept praying fervently for him (Acts 12:5). I would assume they had also prayed for James, but God, in His sovereign will, allowed James to become the first of the twelve disciples to taste martyrdom; yet He miraculously set Peter free. When the angel brought him out of the jail, Peter thought he was seeing a vision (verse 9); yet soon he found himself on the street and realized what had happened. He rushed to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered praying for him. He wanted to let the believers know that their prayers had been answered positively! When the servant-girl recognized Peter and ran in to announce that he was at the door, the skeptical response she received was: "You are out of your mind!" (verse 15). They were so surprised that God had answered their prayer that they couldn't believe it! You are crazy! they said. Peter explained how the Lord had delivered him (verse 17) and asked them to report it to others. Then Peter went away; we are not told where. His last appearance in the book of Acts is in chapter 15.
God always answers prayer, yet not always as we expect. Sometimes He says yes, no, no for now, yes for now, or wait. Prayer is not for us to twist God's arm, but it is the way we submit to His sovereign will. God will work all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Yes, all things, even the painful events in our lives, when His answer was not the one we were expecting.
My Response:__________________________________________________________
HIS WILL.
When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod."--Acts 12:11
Visiting the Garden of Gethsemane was one of the most profound experiences of my life. As I walked among the olive trees, I remembered the Savior's prayer: "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42). Being there, in the very place where Jesus surrendered to His Father's will in order to save me...well, it was more than I can describe in words. And God did answer Him, because He always does. Yet it was not His will to remove the cup, because there was no other way to save us.
When Peter was imprisoned by Herod, the church kept praying fervently for him (Acts 12:5). I would assume they had also prayed for James, but God, in His sovereign will, allowed James to become the first of the twelve disciples to taste martyrdom; yet He miraculously set Peter free. When the angel brought him out of the jail, Peter thought he was seeing a vision (verse 9); yet soon he found himself on the street and realized what had happened. He rushed to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered praying for him. He wanted to let the believers know that their prayers had been answered positively! When the servant-girl recognized Peter and ran in to announce that he was at the door, the skeptical response she received was: "You are out of your mind!" (verse 15). They were so surprised that God had answered their prayer that they couldn't believe it! You are crazy! they said. Peter explained how the Lord had delivered him (verse 17) and asked them to report it to others. Then Peter went away; we are not told where. His last appearance in the book of Acts is in chapter 15.
God always answers prayer, yet not always as we expect. Sometimes He says yes, no, no for now, yes for now, or wait. Prayer is not for us to twist God's arm, but it is the way we submit to His sovereign will. God will work all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Yes, all things, even the painful events in our lives, when His answer was not the one we were expecting.
My Response:__________________________________________________________
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