Daily Devotional • August 9
A Reading from Acts 4:13-31
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus.14 When they saw the man who had been cured standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 So they ordered them to leave the council while they discussed the matter with one another. 16 They said, “What will we do with them? For it is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it.17 But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; 20 for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 21 After threatening them again, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people, for all of them praised God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing had been performed was more than forty years old.
23 After they were released, they went to their own people and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them, 25 it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant:
‘Why did the gentiles rage
and the peoples imagine vain things?
26 The kings of the earth took their stand,
and the rulers have gathered together
against the Lord and against his Messiah.’
27 “For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”31 When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.
Meditation
Have you ever been so consumed by something that you can’t not talk about it? At various times in my life, topics of fixation might have been a work project or a particularly good book. I’m now the mother of a six-month-old, so any conversation is an opportunity to talk about my son’s sleep patterns, his favorite books, and his preference for banana over avocado. These are the things that consume me. I can’t not talk about them.
In today’s passage, we read about Peter and John being so compelled by the resurrection of Jesus that they can’t help but talk about it, even in the face of hostility: “For we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.” For these men, the only faithful response to what they have witnessed is to share it with anyone who will listen. Whether in the temple courts or in jail, addressing Jewish leaders or a beggar, they speak with boldness. They can’t not talk about it.
In response, we see two different reactions: the people praise God for the miracle they’ve witnessed, while the leaders see it as a threat to be neutralized. Both responses show the power of the message.
We can’t control how the Gospel is received, but we must be faithful in our proclamation. How might we become so consumed with Jesus and his saving work that we too can’t keep from speaking about it?
Lauren Anderson-Cripps is director of communications and marketing at Nashotah House Theological Seminary and writes for a variety of publications, including The Living Church. Lauren lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Sam, and their dog, Tennessee Jed.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Diocese of Ibadan South – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Jacksonville, Florida