There is an incredible story in Acts 4. Peter and John were incarcerated and persecuted for speaking about Jesus, and upon their release the church prayed together.
· “Sovereign Lord, you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them…”
When we go through straining situations or troubling transitions our prayers often begin with, “Where are you God?” But when Peter and John went through prison their prayer was, “God, you are in control.” This causes us to ask a pretty profound question:
· Am I who I am and do I do what I do because of the circumstances around me or the character of God?
Too often our circumstances dictate who we are. At Wheaton, I am hard-working college student. At home, I am a fun-loving friend. With friends, I am passionate about the Gospel. When expectations are not met, I am grumpy. When people don’t understand my passions, I am quiet about the truth. When my context is new, I am insecure. When suffering is all around, I am overwhelmed.
But what if, in every circumstance, we were because of and we acted out of God’s character. At Wheaton, I seek after the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and the earth. At home, I press on toward the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth. With friends, I reflect the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth. When expectations are not met, I hope in the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth. When people don’t understand my passions, I glorify the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth. When my context is new, I rest in the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth. When suffering is all around, I serve the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth.
He is good, and He is in control. And I’ve learned from my semesters off that sometimes you have to live in the suck of a situation. But in the midst of it we must continue the affirm that He is the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth. And as we do so that truth will become more and more foundational to who we are.
