Within Your temple, O God, we meditate on Your unfailing love. Like Your name, O God, Your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is filled with righteousness…For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end. Psalm 48:9-10, 14.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV.

When what you have trusted is shaken to the core, what do you do? If you are fortunate, you have learned how near is Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. And you turn to Him and breathe and remember that He is Creator and He sees everything. We are safe in Him regardless of what happens in this world. And in our chapter, Acts 4, we too can listen and believe. As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead – by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” v. 1-12. It’s good to hear this and know we will be saved by no other – not a president, a king, a priest. Only by Jesus Christ. Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply. But when they had ordered them to leave the Council, they began to confer with one another, saying, “What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.” And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” v. 13-20. No one could deny the healing of a man more than forty years old and the people glorified God. Imagine what this was like for the people living then. We read about these events, they lived them. When Peter and John returned to their own people and told them what had happened, They lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David, Your servant, said, ‘Why did the gentiles rage, and the peoples devise futile things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.’ (Psalm 2:1-2). For truly in this city there were gathered against Your holy servant, Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. v. 24-33. This was an amazing time of growth for the people living then who believed in God. They saw the miracles, they knew the love that was binding them one to another in trust in God. They helped one another and one man, Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. v. 34-37.

What about us living thousands of years after these events? The people then experienced the darkness of idolatry and hate that led to the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Son. That same idolatry and hate has existed throughout the history of us and is rearing its head yet again today. Jesus made it clear. Love the Lord your God and love one another, the children of God dearly loved. The only way we can live in this world darkened by hate is to trust Creator God and His Love, and look to Him and Him alone to save us. Our own president has called for war against one another and we don’t yet know what that will mean. But this I know. Creator God IS. What Peter said stands true today. Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge…for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard. Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, IS. The nations will rage. Creator God will save. For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end!