Acts 5:21b-26 - What is God going to do?

Scripture: Acts 5:21b-26

Summary: (Previously, the high priest had arrested the apostles and put them in prison but an angel set them free and they went directly to the temple to teach) That morning the high priest sent to have the apostles brought to him from the prison but they weren't there. The doors were locked, the guards were there, but the prisoners were gone. Someone arrived saying that they were at the temple teaching so the police went and brought the apostles to the high priest.

Thoughts: The high priest and his council are said to be "perplexed, wondering what might be going on." They have no idea that God might be behind the oddness of the situation. Then someone arrives, telling them "Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!" The temple is probably the last place that they expected the apostles to be when they didn't find them in prison. The priests most likely assumed that they were in hiding since they had escaped from prison. But instead, the disciples are in the temple teaching people about Jesus Christ. The priests council had left out a crucial factor when considering what would happen to the followers of Jesus. What was God going to do? I often find myself surprised when God has acted in the world around me. I too easily discount God's influence in our world when I try to figure out what is going to happen next. And it is in those times that God turns things around, bringing light to the darkness, bringing hope to the hopeless. So I encourage you to watch today to see what God is going to do next!

Prayer: God, even though we often forget the fact, you are the most important actor in our world. Help us to see you working in the midst of our lives in this world you have given us for a home. Amen.