There’s Things Goin’ On That You Don’t Know

And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory; and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

But the word of God grew and multiplied. – Acts 12:21-24

No, this is not about the Barack. At least I don’t think it is.

The Apostles faced persecution in Jerusalem. It went so far that Herod imprisoned both James son of Zebedee, and Peter. He had James executed and would have killed Peter as well had not the Lord sent an angel to unlock Peter’s chains and open the gates of the prison. A body of believers was praying for Peter, as I am sure they had prayed for James. No one seemed to question the fact that James had been martyred while Peter was set free to continue his ministry for some additional years. I see nothing to indicate that anyone prayed for Herod’s death – though I would assume they prayed for his (unlikely) conversion.

The persecution that took place moved people around. Earlier attacks on those believers in Jerusalem had sent Philip to Samaria, to the Ethiopian eunuch in the desert, and finally down to Caesarea on the coast. The death of another deacon, Stephen, set in motion the events that led to the conversion of Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus.

Sometimes God seems like Curly of the Three Stooges trying to bake a cake. There is stuff going everywhere except where it’s supposed to. Water is coming out of the electrical outlets. The overhead light bulb shatters when we hit the switch. The stove is on fire. Everybody is covered in flour, and nothing is actually getting done. The difference is that after the stove finally explodes and the dust settles, the Stooges go running off to the next disaster. But when God is done, there is a beautiful and delicious seven-layer cake, decorated to perfection, sitting serenely on the table.

In God’s case, the apparent chaos is neither random nor meaningless, regardless of how we perceive it in time. Even evil can be made to serve the ultimate Good, as can be seen throughout the Bible, and in our own lives. As Joseph said so well, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.”

It’s essential and sufficient to know that “all things work together for good to those who love God”. Still I ask: What about justice? When do the arrogant and abusive get what’s coming to them? What about all those people running loose who wallow in wickedness like a hog in mud? The worms are already gnawing at their brains. It’s just a matter of time.

So in the midst of all this weirdness that will finally end in perfection, what are we to do? We pray. We pray with faith and confidence, not worrying about the timing or the apparent lack of an answer. We know prayer is effective, and, moreover, we know the Lord calls on all of us to pray. What we don’t know and can’t know is how our prayers will be answered. Tell God what needs to be done but never how He should go about doing it. (That’s also good advice for wives speaking to their husbands.)

Daniel chapter ten tells of the aged prophet’s realization that the Babylonian exile was almost over for the Jews. The prophesied return and restoration was at hand. This understanding did not, however, make Daniel complacent. Instead it caused him to begin a three-week prayer vigil and near-fast. He began to intercede for the will of God to be done. Though it was prophesied, Daniel’s intercession was an element of the fulfillment. Things may be certain, but prayer is part of the certainty.

The Kingdom comes, but we must still pray … Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth … for it may be your prayer, or mine, that the Lord is waiting to hear.