Even When You Don't Understand...

In Acts 12:7-12, we find the story of Peter's miraculous escape from jail. An angel severed the chains that bound the apostle, stood him up and led him out past the slumbering guards and through the gate. What's most amazing about this story is that all the while the angel is leading him to freedom, Peter believed it was a dream or vision. It's not until the angel departed from him outside the gate that he "came to himself" and realized he had actually been delivered by the Lord from jail.

There are a lot of people today who not only want to know the answer to every religious question, they want to know the reason behind the answer. There is nothing wrong with wanting to dig deeper into spiritual matters, nor is there anything inherently wrong in wanting to know "why" things are the way they are. At the same time, we can "overthink" the will of God and fall prey to this "intellectual" mindset that so often crosses the line from "questioning" God to challenging or even doubting God. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:25-26...

"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called."

We see another great illustration of this in John 6. When Jesus told His disciples that they had to eat His flesh and drink His blood in order to have eternal life (vs. 54), we're told that "many of His disciples...said, 'This is a hard saying; who can understand it?'" (vs. 60). It was okay to be confused and to ask this question. However, when Jesus' answer didn't satisfy their intellectual minds, the text says that "many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more" (vs. 66).

Now we're going to come full-circle back to the apostle Peter...

After these disciples left Jesus, the Lord looked at the apostles and said,

"'Do you also want to go away?' But Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.' Also we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'" (vs. 67-69).

Peter didn't understand what was going on when the angel was leading him out of the prison - he thought it was a dream or vision - but he still obeyed the angel's instructions. Likewise, Peter didn't understand what the Lord meant when He instructed them to eat His flesh and drink His blood, but he wasn't dissuaded from following Jesus. Peter didn't always have to have all the answers. He didn't have to understand everything. He was humble enough, and he had such faith in Christ, that he was committed to following Christ no matter what.

Dear reader, serving Christ is about giving up control, and that requires a willingness to follow Christ even when we don't fully understand why He has said what He has said. Like Peter, we need to follow the Lord and obey Him...and TRUST that He, being the King of kings, knows what He's doing. Study God's word. Seek Bible answers for Bible questions. But when there is a concept that you struggle to grasp, don't give up on the Lord.

Follow Him even when you don't understand...