Scripture: Acts 4:23-24 ESV – “When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them”
Peter and John had just been released after being arrested because they ministered to a crippled man and saw him miraculously healed. They shared the truth of who Jesus is to thousands of people who came to believe in Him. Perhaps the most amazing part of what happened to Peter and John is that there was nothing the chief priests and elders could really do to stop them. Even though they were arrested, because of God’s sovereignty, they were essentially untouchable. It says in Acts 4:21: “And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened.” They told Peter and John that they better stop ministering in the name of Jesus. They threatened them, but they could not punish them. The writer doesn’t give us all of the threats that were aimed their way, but you can imagine how you would feel if it were you standing in front of them being told to stop. They had watched Jesus beaten, tortured, and killed. Of course, He rose from the dead and fulfilled every promise He came to earth to deliver on. But, what would Peter and John do now that their ministry was under the microscope? They forged ahead, and it was under the same authority in which Jesus did not stop that Peter and John did not stop either.
Take a moment and read Acts 4:24 above again. Who is the first one they call upon? What did they call Him?
In what was maybe one of their greatest moments of angst in the early days of their ministry, they called upon the “Sovereign Lord”. It was a “stop”, or “keep going”, moment. They were tempted to feel vulnerable and at risk, but security was only to be found in God’s sovereignty. They weren’t speaking self-soothing words. They were declaring that as disciples of Christ, not only did the Sanhedrin not have authority over their calling, but Peter and John themselves did not have the sovereignty to submit to the authority of the Sanhedrin. The only two choices they had were to honor the sovereignty of God or succumb to any fleshly tendency to cling to earthly assurances, which can only assure heartache and defeat. They had been called by God to continue what had been born out of Jesus. They were not walking as explorers who would forge their own path. Their path had already been set by God.
One of the greatest battles raging in you is between your will and God’s sovereignty. Let’s be clear right up front: God’s sovereignty is never weakened in this battle. His place of authority is above all thrones, rulers, and forces that are seen and unseen. There is no one who views God from a perch above Him, as no such perch exists.
Psalm 24:1(GNT) says “The world and all that is in it belong to the Lord; the earth and all who live on it are his.”
The creator can never be under the created, which means that you will always be within the scope of God’s sight. That should never be in question. Rulers and principalities of darkness may have what they perceive as authority; but the truth is, they can only reach those who stop reaching for God. Dark rulers know about God’s sovereignty. They pace back and forth in the corridor of your life looking for an open door to enter and convince you that your will is better and that God’s sovereignty is a foolish path. A deceiver has to know the truth first before they can lead you astray with a lie. The enemy is so full of hate, that his only use for the truth is to know how best to mislead you. The lie of the enemy is that God is not to be trusted, that His sovereignty is risky, and your will is safe. The truth is, God’s sovereignty is of a perfect love that seeks only to keep you and protect you. His sovereignty is exactly that: sovereign. Whatever the will of your heart is, it will not and cannot override what God wants to do. With that said, in order for you to be in community with Him, your will cannot be at odds with His sovereignty. You can trust what He will do before He does it. You can find peace and security in your heart even if the day comes that it stops beating. You will find security in the sovereignty of God. Read Acts 4:31. You will see that Peter, John, and their friends experienced that kind of security. May you live with that same assurance today!
Reflection Questions:
- How does God’s sovereignty change your perspective about the day ahead of you?
- How would the security of God’s sovereignty impact the fears and anxieties that you commonly deal with?
- What is one thing you have struggled to have peace about? What can you declare to God to put your faith in His will, that will change your thinking about this struggle?
- What do you pray God will do today to interrupt you from waking up tomorrow with the same doubts you may have about your future?