A Time of Waiting
Thursday, May 27, 2004
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My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, I praise You that You are the God who hears and answers prayer! I praise You that You are the one true, and living God! I praise You that You understand my weaknesses and yet You love me still. I pray that You will fill me with Your Holy Spirit that all that I am and all that I do will serve to show others the truth of Your salvation today and always. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God's Word For Me Today
Acts 1:15-26
15During this time, on a day when about 120 believers were present, Peter stood up and addressed them as follows:
16“Brothers, it was necessary for the Scriptures to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided the Temple police to arrest Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David. 17Judas was one of us, chosen to share in the ministry with us.”
18(Judas bought a field with the money he received for his treachery, and falling there, he burst open, spilling out his intestines. 19The news of his death spread rapidly among all the people of Jerusalem, and they gave the place the Aramaic name Akeldama, which means “Field of Blood.”)
20Peter continued, “This was predicted in the book of Psalms, where it says, ‘Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it.’ And again, ‘Let his position be given to someone else.’
21“So now we must choose another man to take Judas’s place. It must be someone who has been with us all the time that we were with the Lord Jesus—22from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us into heaven. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.”
23So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24Then they all prayed for the right man to be chosen. “O Lord,” they said, “you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen 25as an apostle to replace Judas the traitor in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.” 26Then they cast lots, and in this way Matthias was chosen and became an apostle with the other eleven.
Reflecting on God's Word
What do you think it would have been like to be one of the original twelve apostles of Jesus?
A Deeper Exploration of God's Word
What is the most important point you gain from today’s Scripture reading? (1:15-26)
Understanding God's Purpose
What do the Scriptures that Peter quoted in today’s reading tell us about God’s purpose for our lives?
What do you think Matthias and Barsabbas would have thought about being “nominated” as an apostle?
Applying God's Word to Our Lives
What key decision do you need to take to the Lord in prayer right now?
Thoughts...Praying for the Right Man...
All of the believers present in the house were praying that the right man would be chosen to replace Judas. Yet, when the decision was made to select Matthias, we’re not at all sure that the right person was chosen. It’s possible that Matthias was considered by the remaining apostles to be the “twelfth” apostle from that day forward, but it’s more likely that they eventually recognized that Saul/Paul was truly Judas’ God-selected replacement. What we can learn from today’s reading is that even when we pray fervently for the right thing to happen, what we need to pray is that God’s thing will happen! Jesus told the apostles to wait. They did for the most part. They waited and prayed, prayed and waited. Then they decided that they needed to do something. They needed to replace Judas. Why? Peter thought it was necessary. Maybe it was tradition. Maybe it was just the need to DO something. What-ever the reason, it went beyond God’s mandate to WAIT. Let’s re-member that when God calls us to wait, that’s our calling. When He calls us to go, then that’s our calling. The key is listening to God!