Monday, October 9, 2023

We should pray        

_{Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.  Acts 9: 1-2}

Can you imagine if you had an enemy hunting you and with power to arrest and put you into prison because of your faith in Jesus?  What would it be like if you had to hide out and be on watch 24/7 wondering if a brigade of soldiers was coming for you because you told others about the love God?  It is beyond our comprehension and hopefully we will never have to experience such an atrocity of being the target of a leader that was breathing threats and murder against those who call on the name of the LORD.

This is what was happening to the Christian people in today’s passage.  Saul was actually out on the road rounding up Christians and going into their homes and dragging them off to jail.  It is a disturbing picture for sure and after his conversion, I don’t think the Christian people were lining up to receive Saul as their brother in the Lord.  They were skeptical to say the least, and with good reason.  It took a lot of faith for those who first brought Saul into the meetings and vouched for his conversion to Christianity.  Yet, the Christians of that day received Saul and eventually even recognized him as one of the twelve.  God completely changed his heart and Saul’s life changed so much that eventually the leaders of Israel were trying to not only arrest him but kill him.

When I read these accounts of the New Testament Church in Acts, it is so hard for me to imagine.  I cannot comprehend the feelings of fear and anxiety that the believers must have felt.  Not only the fear for their own lives but even more so for their families and those they loved.  I am so thankful for the time we live in and the freedom we have in our nation that God has prepared for us here.  Sadly, it is not the case all over the world.  Even now in the nation of Israel, they are being attacked and surrounded on every side.  We can watch from afar, and hopefully we are all praying for their peace and protection, but we will never understand what it is like to live each day not knowing when the next missile will be launched or bomb to be dropped.  All because they believe the promise of God to give them the land that they rightfully conquered so many millennia ago.

Thankfully, as we read through today’s reading, we will see how God intervened and gave some relief to the Christians that day on the Damascus Road.  He turned things around for the first believers and we are praying that He will do the same today in the nation of Israel.

Today I want to encourage you to thank your heavenly Father for His provision of salvation and protection for His people all over the world.  Thank Him for the safety you experience on a daily basis and that we would continue to live in this protected land.  Ask Him to watch over that land of Israel and to give them wisdom and strength over the enemies that are gathering against them.  Then pray for those who come against them, that even some of those would come to the love of God.  There will always be enemies, but it is up to God to save or avenge.

Today’s scripture reading: Acts 9:1-9

1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 

2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 

4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. 

8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 

9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.