Read Acts 4
Who knows the full extent of what God has in store for our church? Only God does! But He longs to reveal more and more of His plan to us as we act in faith and see that He is greater than all.
Acts chapter 4 describes the bold ministry of Peter and John, and the price they paid for proclaiming the Message. Because they would not keep quiet about their Lord...because they were convinced that their silence would carry eternal consequences...because their faith was in the One whose Name is above all others...they didn’t give up or give in. Although the authorities demanded that they cease to teach about Jesus or even to speak His name, they refused and were persecuted.
When Peter and John were released that day, they returned to their fellow Christians and joined them in praying to the God who is greater. All the believers recognized the risks they were taking, but in the larger context, the threats didn’t matter. Consequently, their prayer was not filled with expressions of anxiety; instead, it overflowed with the promises of Scripture. Their emotions and thoughts were anchored in the reality of who God is. No one pretended that the circumstances were pleasant, but everyone confessed two essential truths — that God is sovereign and that He is forever the Creator.
The same God to whom those first century disciples devoted their lives, that same Sovereign Lord and Creator, is our God. And when we pray to Him, we are confessing confidence in the One who is greater. In response to our prayer He can create new dispositions in the hearts of our opponents. He can create a thirst for Jesus in the hearts of those who once rejected the Gospel. He can create circumstances to override the prevailing circumstances. And He can do all this because He is greater than all.
We face mountainous challenges. How must we respond? With the spiritual vision to see that He, as the God who is greater, can cast those mountains into the sea or reduce them to a plain path. Pray with someone today about a “mountain” you are facing, and pray also about the “mountain” we face in our important generosity initiative. Let’s believe God together!