DON’T MISS OUT
Erin Kranz
Today's Scripture: “When Peter came to himself, he said, ‘Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.’” Acts 12:11, ESV
Theme: You can trust God to reveal His power even in perplexing and uncertain circumstances.
LESS THAN IDEAL
When I graduated from college, I decided to work in photography and communications for a missions group that did international sports ministry based out of Fort Mill. It was a traditional missionary career that required me to raise my own support before I could begin. I worked odd jobs between meeting with donors in the meantime, and one of those was delivering the white pages for a grand total of $90. I was so frustrated to have to take that job. I had just graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, was following God’s calling on my life, but with the bad job economy in 2010, that was the only option I had.
The area I was designated was very rural, and most people had long individual driveways. The company made you wear a tracker necklace and claimed they wouldn’t pay you if you couldn’t prove you had delivered it to the actual doorstep, so I had to drive down each of those long driveways to deliver each book. Backing out of one, I ended up hitting a tree and causing thousands of dollars of damage to my car!
To say my frustration hit a new level would be an understatement. I was so angry at God and hurt that He would let this happen when I was in the middle of trying to do something really big for Him. I felt betrayed, and it just didn’t make sense.
GOD’S SURPRISE
That same week, my mom received a call from a lawyer who had been trying to track her down. Unbeknownst to her, her late father had money in a different bank that had been designated for her, and years later this lawyer had finally found her. My parents instantly wanted to gift this money to my missions fund, and I was left speechless! In the span of one week, I had gone from one of my lowest lows to highest highs watching the mysterious ways that God works. I was definitely humbled, but I also would have missed a faith-building lesson if I had not stepped out in faith in the first place.
WALKING WITH AN ANGEL
Peter was a man of great faith, but I imagine that even he may have had moments where He didn’t fully understand what God was doing. In today’s Scripture, we see that Herod Agrippa, Herod the Great’s grandson, had been violently arresting and killing Christians and had put Peter in prison, most likely to be publicly executed. This follows Acts Chapters 10 and 11, where we see Peter receive his calling to share the Good News with the Gentiles. In the middle of a big spiritual high, he is put in prison.
Not many people can say that they’ve walked with or been miraculously saved by an angel, but Peter was. It took stepping out in faith many times to take him to that place – both physically and spiritually. However, it was in the midst of that prison that God revealed His power in a whole new way, and Peter got to witness a miracle.
Make It Personal: Are you ready to see God work and to step out of your comfort zone in faith? I encourage you to pray and allow God to lead you. It will absolutely require doing some things you’re not comfortable with, but you will also get to witness God’s amazing goodness on the other end.
Pray: Dear God, You are a powerful and mysterious God. Please help me to get out of my comfort zone and really follow You each day. Help me remember all of Your good works and for allowing me to play a part in what You’re doing. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read: Acts 12:1-19
Weekly Memory Verse: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Romans 8:26, ESV