God’s perfect plan can never be thwarted (Wednesday, Easter 3, 2021)

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Acts 7:51-8:1 gives us an account of the persecution and death of Stephen, a man filled with Holy Spirit. He was brutally stoned to death on account of his affiliation with Jesus and testimony to good news. We may be tempted to question God’s sense of justice when bad things happen to those who promote His cause. Why did God keep mute when Stephen was being stoned to death on account of his testimony to the truth?


I have been much attentive to history and to my personal experiences, and I have come to a certain conviction that sometimes, God allows bad things to happen so that something good will come out of them. Our “worst” moments have good lessons for us. God may appear to be quiet when we go through pains but it does not mean that He is distant.


On account of the persecution of Stephen, the Church left Jerusalem and the message of salvation reached those who were scattered in different parts of the world. If persecutions did not break out, I still wonder how the gospel message would have reached Samaria and other places outside the Jewish nation. In the pains of the early Christians, God was working out some gains for the Church. His will or plan for the church was never, could never and can never be thwarted.


Jesus said to the crowds that the will of His Father is that He should lose nothing of all that He has given Him (cf. Jn. 6:35-40). Paul also preached that the will of God is that all people should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (cf. 1 Tim. 2:4). It appears to be the case that God might have allowed persecutions to hit the church so that His message of salvation would reach the ends of the earth.


As the disciples were fiercely persecuted, God was busy working out some order out of such anarchy, busy charting new ways for the fulfillment of His plans for the Church. To those that love God, all things work together unto good (Rom. 8:28). Let’s continue to be hopeful, faithful and optimistic. God will never backtrack in bringing His plans and purposes to a successful end, not excluding His plans for us. 


Prayer:

Lord, through the storms and tempests, I know that You are refashioning me for good. May I never forget that Your perfect plans for me CAN NEVER be thwarted, Amen!


Have a fulfilling day!



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