Acts 1:15-26
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters, d 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,’ l
and,
“ ‘May another take his place of leadership.’ m
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. [1]
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What struck me in today’s passage is the pursuit and acceptance of God’s will. When it came time to select a replacement for Judas, they prayed for God to reveal His will, and then they cast lots. They readily accepted the outcome as God’s will. Discussion ended. There is no account of Joseph Barsabbas lodging a complaint, arguing that the dice were loaded, or the method unfair. The impression is that life and mission goes forward for the church. God had spoken. We accept it and go on.
I’ve never seen a church today use this method to make decisions, to call staff, to seek the Lord’s will. I wonder why? I’m not necessarily suggesting it, but what is interesting is their utter trust that once they had prayed for the Lord’s will, it would be revealed. And they would follow it.
Jesus instructs us to pray daily for His will to be done, on earth as in heaven. Obviously this means for His will to be done in our lives. I don’t normally cast lots to receive the answer, but how do I look for the answer? And when I do perceive an answer, am I willing to trust it completely as they did?
Now, it’s a much larger topic than this brief devotion to go into how we to seek and discern God’s will. I’ll just say briefly that I look for His will to be revealed through His word, impressions He gives during prayer, circumstances in life, and dialogue with other people.
But my main point today, the thought that struck me, is simply the attitude of seeking God’s will in all things, with the intent to follow it completely.
So my prayer today is for God’s will to be done in me, to me, through me and by me this day. I pray that He may show me His will for my life today, especially what He would have me do. And then give me grace and strength to pursue His will.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. 2011 (Ac 1:15–26). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.