God’s Answer to Prayer

By Jeff Curtis

We ought to be happy with whatever answer God gives us, because God knows best. Great minds have struggled with the question “Why did God save Peter from execution and not James?” One answer could be that in God’s plans and purposes, the death of James could be more advantageous, while Peter being released would do more good. That the death of one to the twelve could be in any way advantageous is remarkable since the church had been in existence for such a short time. This view could indicate that the apostles had been highly successful at developing other men as leaders.

That answer is without a doubt correct, but there is something else we should think about. Maybe we’re asking the wrong question. Maybe we should ask, “Why did James receive the honor of being the first apostle to receive his reward, and Peter had to wait several more years before being ushered into Paradise?” The way we usually ask the question is proof that we don’t look at events as God does. The Psalmist said, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones” (Psalm 116:15). Imagine a group of peasants laboring in the hot sun outside the palace. From time to time, the gate of the palace is opened and one laborer is invited inside. Those still outside wouldn’t mourn for the one who entered the palace, but instead, they would mourn for themselves. Each one would ask, “Why couldn’t it have been me?” The point is that whether God apparently says “No” to our prayers, as He did in the case of James, or “Yes” as He did in the case of Peter, every answer is exactly the right one, whether or not we can see it at the time. Let’s learn to trust in the Lord and “pray without ceasing” (1Thessalonians 5:17).

Warren Wiersbe suggested that Peter may have had his miraculous deliverance in mind when he wrote 1Peter 3:12 (“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”) Wiersbe used the words of this verse to summarize Acts 12: (1) God sees our trials (vv.1-4) – “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous.” (2) God hears our prayers (vv.5-17) – “And His ears are open to their prayers.” (3) God deals with our enemies (vv.18-25) – “But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Meditate on this:

1 Kings 8:56

 “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.

Overcoming Distressing Situations

By Ethan Tidwell

We are all human and sometimes we go through hard times. How we handle it is important.

We can take examples from those in the Bible and apply them to our lives. One of these examples is Job. In the book of Job, he suffered greatly losing nearly everything (Job 1:14-19). In verse 22 of chapter 1 it says. “In all this Job did not sim nor charge God with wrong.” He lost his servants, livestock, and children. He did not blame the Lord for any of this. Although he would wonder why all this would happen to him, in chapter 10 yet he still never charged God with wrong. We need to have his attitude when it comes to suffering in our lives (Job 1:21).

David is another example; he had many enemies. He prayed to the Lord for many things. David speaks to God in a form of a song (2Samuel 22:7). How God hears his cries. He was protected by God. We may not be able to relate to David with the number of enemies, but we may have some sort of stress due to the world looking down on and persecuting us in any way for being a disciple of Christ.

Jesus prayed a lot as well. In the Garden of Gethsemane. He wanted the Father to take His burden away (Matt. 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42). He was in agony to the point where His sweat became drops of blood (Luke 22:44). Even though He was deeply distressed, He recognized the He still needed to do His Father’s will (Matt.26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42).

We can’t quite fathom the agony Jesus had to endure or come close to the level of His responsibility. We can however be distressed if it comes to persecution. With that there are things to help us through any hard times we might face. Praying (Philippians 4:6; Col. 4:2). Study (2Tim.2:15; 3:16-17; Heb.4:12). Doing the Lord’s will, no matter the situation and staying faithful to Him. There is a greater reward waiting for us if we stay faithful and do His will. Anyway, we suffer on this earth it will pass (Rev. 2:10b). Hope these words will comfort anyone in distressing times. Stay strong in the Lord.

Meditate on This:

Joshua 1:8

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you^[a] shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.