Sleep in adversity!
Verse for Today: Thursday, December 19, 2013
Acts 12:6 – The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.
It is extremely difficult to sleep the night before one’s execution. It is also amazing to see how a prisoner would sleep in the midst of soldiers, bound with two chains and being watched by sentries. How would a human being go into sound sleep under these circumstances except by supernatural enabling when the heart is filled with the peace of God which passes all understanding! Of course, God has promised His children sleep even in adverse circumstances. It is also true that when the Keeper of Israel was neither sleeping nor slumbering, Peter did not need to keep himself awake. Peter could enjoy this human impossibility by sleeping sound, leaving all the eventualities to the Lord. He knew that the Lord was in full control of his difficult and seemingly hopeless situation. There was a promise from Jesus before the Crucifixion about the mode of Peter’s death that it wouldnot be by sword as in the case of James. But it is not easy to think about that promise hours before execution by sword. This was the sleep the Lord gave Peter in the midst of the greatest threat to his life. Through this incident, the Lord showed Peter and the prayer meeting in John Mark’s home that He watches over His children that no one will touch His beloved children without his permission. It is also a message to us today to be confident in the wake of difficult circumstances which try to engulf us.
Dear friend, are you going through perilous times when your situations seem to swallow you up? Do you feel threat for your life from the enemy? Are you afraid to face your tomorrow because of some undesirable things which await you and you wonder if you have any capacity to handle it? Do you feel that you cannot face your tomorrows because of the intimidating realities which are out there to devour you? Is it a negative medical report, a call from your creditors, a possible job loss, a rumor spread about you by the enemy through people who are closely linked with you, loneliness, a business failure, loss of a loved one or some other adversity? No matter what it is, you must understand that your Lord knows all about it and He is in full control over your dark situation. He has a plan to release you from the chains which bind you. It doesn’t matter how strong the chains are and how powerful the soldiers who watch over you might be. It is not important how many doors are there for the prison cell in which you are kept in the night and how dark the night might be. The Lord is able to give you sleep as you entrust the eventualities with Him. Your Lord is ruling and overruling your situation to release you and take full glory for it. His angels are encompassing around you and they will lead you by the hand and take you out of your situation. The chains will soon fall off and the sentries will go into a coma. The ‘Rhodas’ might not even believe that it is your voice when you call out. Your release will look unbelievable, but it is a reality that you need to experience by faith. Let us praise God who still interferes in our situations miraculously to calm us down, give us sound sleep and rest and release us from our bondage for His glory and our joy.
Psalms 4:8 – I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Thought for Today
Even in the midst of adversity, as our Lord is awake and keeps watching over us, we need not lose our sleep and peace.
Prayer for Today
Dear Lord Jesus: Help me to trust You to give me peace and rest in the midst of turbulence in life because You are with me. Amen!
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