Omnipotence Not Weakness
Opening Prayer
Eternal God, I want to live for You, unashamed and undistracted. Open my eyes to You now, I pray.
Read Acts 1:12–26
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”
18 (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:
“‘May his place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in it,’
and,
“‘May another take his place of leadership.’
21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Thank God, and meditate on what this means for you today.
Think Further
The disciples returned to Jerusalem and gathered in a large upper room to wait for the promised Spirit, in obedience to Jesus’ command. Their number (120) was the minimum which Jewish law decreed as necessary to establish a new community and its ruling council. The infant community was united and constantly prayed to the one who had so recently been taken from them. Their prayer took on a new dimension as they communicated with their living God-friend. The contrast between the disciples’ practice of prayer in the gospels and Acts is dramatic. They failed in prayer during Jesus’ ministry (Matt. 26:40,41), but Acts records 31 times in which prayer was offered.
As they waited, Peter led them in finding a replacement apostle for Judas, deemed necessary because of his apostasy, not his death. Twelve was another significant number, indicating completeness of the group of apostles on which this new community was founded, paralleling Israel’s twelve tribal leaders. To fulfill this leadership position, the candidate needed to have been present for the total period of Jesus’ public ministry until his ascension. Guided by Scripture, common sense, prayer and casting of lots, Matthias was chosen.
Casting of lots has been superseded by the guidance of the Spirit (John 16:13), but the other elements are very important for all believers making decisions and facing significant events today. Sadly, the prayer life of many of us resembles more closely that of the disciples in the gospels than that of members of this vibrant community. I expect they had no idea what God was going to do, so what did they pray? It has been said, “Prayer is weakness leaning on omnipotence” (W. S. Bowd). Their experience of the risen Christ was all they needed to lean on him by faith, knowing he would act in power.
Apply
As you pray today, fill your mind with the power of Almighty God, Ruler of the universe, Savior of the world. What do you want to say to him?
Closing prayer
Lord, I need for prayer to always be my first choice rather than my last chance. Carve out within me a deep hunger for prayer.
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