Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by Him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 NRSV.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. 1 Peter 1:6-8.

This morning as I was making my coffee, I noticed the absolute stillness of the new day. The hushed quiet. In our too noisy world we have lost the rhythms of life. The first scripture verse above was in Dallas Willard and I hesitated to share it because I know how much I don’t understand. He added the prayer at the end of the devotional…”Reflect: Compose a prayer that includes the ideas of reading the Bible with a surrendered will and with intelligence. Pray that prayer and consider using it before you read the Bible each time – and even before reading the next entry in this book tomorrow.” And then this from Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His HIghest: “I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of God. Do I have faith in what Jesus Christ has done? He has made the perfect atonement for sin. Am I in the habit of constantly realizing it? The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things. The redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great act of God which He has performed through Christ, and I have to build my faith on it.”

And in our chapter, Acts 12, can we read with open hearts turned to God? Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword. When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread. When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people. So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God. On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. And behold an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” v. 1-11. Can you imagine? The Apostle James has been killed. How shaken must everyone have been? Jesus had told them beforehand that they too would suffer death for Him. And then Peter is taken for the same purpose. How startling must it have been for Peter to realize after the angel left him that this was real and not a vision only. And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. When he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate. They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, “It is his angel.” v. 12-15. Why didn’t she open the door? Why would anything make them think it was “his angel”? When faced with what we can’t rationally explain, why can’t we trust Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit? But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed. But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and the brethren.” Then he left and went to another place. v. 17. I was startled to read James, but it was not the Apostle James. Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter. When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and was spending time there. Now he was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and with one accord they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because their country was fed by the king’s country. On an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. The people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark. v. 18-25.

This book is named for all the acts that happened after Jesus, the Son, was lifted to be at the Father’s side. These events were unique and needed. Everything is changing. Do we honestly think that because they happened over two thousand years ago that God’s work intimately in our lives is over? Every action of God in the lives of men throughout the history of us is unique and needed. When we read with an open heart turned to God, it becomes personal for us. This is our history! Every bit of it for the purpose of Creator God for His creation including us. I find comfort in the closeness I share with Him. This Peter wrote those amazing words…In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith….of greater worth than gold….may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy! This is personal! And so is God’s love for you.