Begin with 2 minutes of stillness and silence before God.

This story has always bothered me. It doesn’t appear to start or end well. Thank goodness I, like Paul Harvey, know the rest of the story.

We find Stephen being accused and defending himself against these lies. Some blatant lies and some just truths no one wanted to hear. Regardless, the result was that the Council began to gnash their teeth at him. That is extreme. I never had anyone gnash their teeth at me. Maybe one of my kids but they don’t count. I’m supposed to do things they don’t like. But here is the part I love and sometimes miss. That God, in His mercy sent angels down and rescued him. Oh wait. It didn’t go like that. Let me re-read that. That God, in His mercy, rolled out the Welcome Home mat. He poured out this out-of this-world comfort that only He can give in horrible situations. It’s what has been recorded for several martyrs through the ages. Men being burned at the stake while they sang hymns. Women requesting that the cross be held up where they can see it, so while being burned at the stake, they can pray loud enough to be heard over the flames. You cannot, on this side of heaven, explain that. But I believe we witness it. I believe that when the World Trade Centers fell, God wrapped His arms around the believers and said, “It’s OK. Come on home”. I believe that when our friends and family who are believers take that last breath, they feel at peace. That, I have witnessed.

In all that is going on in these verses, I frequently gloss over that. But why? Is my God not big enough or smart enough to orchestrate my path? Let me give you an exercise that I like to do sometimes. Here’s the scenario: You got something heavy on your mind. A big decision. Something not going your way. Some bad news. When you get in your car to drive to work, or school, or maybe Pickleball (please take my wife so she doesn’t make me go) do this. Name out loud all the reasons you think God should be able to handle this. Something like this. I know God that: You created everything out of nothing by speaking it into existence. That’s a pretty good start. You touched people and healed them. As a matter of fact, you didn’t even need to touch them. Just say “Be healed”. You walked on water. As a kid, I tried this many times. I never could get that to work. You made a Donkey talk. You not only made the sun stand still but caused it to go backwards. Do this until you arrive at your destination. Trust me, you won’t run out of examples. And then feel the comfort spread over your soul as you too know, whatever you face, there’s God.

Now you know the rest of this story where Stephen is indeed stoned using his last breath to ask God to forgive these men. Another reason is that Ron will never be considered a martyr. And Saul not only looked on but “was in hearty agreement”. We will deal with this scoundrel tomorrow. 

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Think of a time recently when you felt God was not big enough or smart enough to help you. Send that to your trash folder.
  
• Think of a time that you really felt like God comforted you in an out-of-this-world way. Dwell on that for a minute.

Reclaimed:

Have you experienced the life-changing grace and mercy of the Cross in your life? Do you have questions about following Jesus? If you or someone you know has questions about salvation or baptism, Venture’s Salvation & Baptism Booklet is a written guide to walk you through an understanding of who God is and what He did for us. To learn more or contact someone from our staff about baptism, go to www.venturechurch.org/baptism.