Psalm 127; Acts 12:6-19

Psalm 127
This psalm is a plea to trust the Lord. It's good to build your house or career or business, but it's futile unless God is in it. Likewise, we should take precautions for our safety, but ultimately our trust is in the Lord. After all, our best work or defenses can be destroyed in an instant, and only God is in complete control. I had a dream last night (probably from watching too much news) that we had to leave our home and go into hiding. We left everything and got on this bus headed for who knows where. But anyway, we had to leave our home, computers, cell phones, all our possessions--everything but the clothes on our backs. I asked this lady (faceless in my memory) if I could make a call to let someone know where we were, and she said "No" in a panicked voice. I hope this kind of thing never happens to any of us, but it does happen to refugees in other places, and really our best- laid plans are pretty flimsy compared to forces that could happen. And so, our confidence must be in God. We work hard and "smart," but then we go to sleep and trust God! v. 2

Vv 3-5 deal with children and families. We must never see children as a nuisance or distraction. They are truly a gift from the Lord, and they should bring us joy all our lives. They are a glimpse into the future, and God values them highly!

Acts 12:6-19
Yesterday we saw King Herod Agrippa on the warpath. He had James killed and Peter imprisoned. Beginning in v. 6, we see God work a miracle on Peter's behalf. He sent a messenger, an angel of the Lord, to deliver him. The details are interesting. "The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, 'Quick! Get up!' And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, 'Get dressed and put on your sandals,' And he did. 'Now put on your coat and follow me.'" It seemed like a vision to Peter as they passed by the guards, and the gate opened automatically for them. When he was safely outside the prison, the angel left him and he realized it was real, he went immediately to home where the believers were gathered to pray for him. Even though their prayer was answered even as they were praying, they couldn't believe it! Isn't this just like us? We try to believe and we say we believe, but sometimes we don't believe--at least not very easily!