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And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. … Now when they heard [Stephen preaching,] they were enraged … But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven … And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 6:7-8; 7:54a, 55a, 56-60)
It must have been a horrifying time for the earliest Christians. Things had been going well for so long! And then almost overnight, everything changed. One of their leaders, a man named Stephen, was stoned to death after testifying to the truth of who Jesus is. The very same day, the book of Acts tells us, “a great persecution [arose] against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles” (Acts 8:1b). Think of it—all those people running for their lives—it must have felt like the end of the world to them.
It happens to us, too. We have times when everything seems to be going so well—and then, overnight, it all changes. We look at the news of our world and it frightens us. We get personal bad news—a lost job, a bad diagnosis from the doctor, news that someone we love has betrayed us. And the world becomes dark in our eyes. Why is God allowing this to happen? we wonder. We are afraid, and grieving, and tempted to give up. Where is the Lord? Has He forgotten about us?
Jesus knew we would face times like these. That is why He warned us ahead of time: “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
When we are tempted to despair, Jesus calls us back to Himself—to trust in Him who has never let us down and who never will. He is the One who took His own suffering—even to the point of death!—and used it to set us free from the power of sin, guilt, and evil. When it looked like His story was over, He rose from the dead. And so now Jesus is the Source of our own everlasting life as children of God, both in this world and in the next. He will never leave us, and He will never forsake us.
WE PRAY: Lord, when I’m afraid, help me to trust in You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
- Saul (later known as Paul) was there at Stephen’s stoning. Why would Saul look like bad news for the early Christian church?
- What did God do with Saul that turned him into unexpected good news for Christian believers?
- What specific things do you do when you are afraid and need to find hope and help in the Lord?
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