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The Eleventh Hour
Andrea Lende • Jul 18, 2020
Acts 12:6-7
The Eleventh Hour
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/The-Eleventh-Hour-egu4ln
Daily Word:
Acts 12:6-7
“The very night before Herod was about to bring him forth, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.”
“And suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the place where he was. And the angel gently smote Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, Get up quickly! And the chains fell off his hands.”
Peter had been in prison for a while.
He was heavily guarded.
There didn’t seem to be a possibility of escaping his fate.
However, the night before he was to be brought in front of Herod to be tried and likely executed, an angel came and set him free.
As I read these verses, I was reminded of the eleventh hour.
The Lord came to save Peter at the last hour.
Peter was not warned in a dream that this would happen.
He had no idea what the plan was.
God saved Peter in a way that was unconventional.
He was sleeping when the angel came to wake him up and instruct him.
The angel told Peter exactly what to do: “Tighten your belt and bind on your sandals; Wrap your outer garment around you and follow me.”
Peter did as he was instructed.
He was in a bit of a trance; not entirely conscious in his mind until he was outside the prison.
This made me think of the past eleventh hours that I have experienced.
I was usually somewhat distraught.
It seemed like there could be no way, but God made a way.
In that last hour God made a miracle.
Totally unexpected.
Usually in an unconventional way.
His miracle could have never been predicted by me.
And my faith increased.
Then on to another circumstance that seemed impossible.
God made a way yet another time.
Time after time God made a way.
And every time my faith and belief increased.
Eventually I was able to believe for the impossible and watch the Lord make another miracle.
Just as impossible as our circumstances seem right now, I believe that the Lord will show Himself miraculous, Almighty, and All-Powerful.
Today I choose to believe that the Lord will work in my life at the eleventh hour and I look forward to seeing what He will do.
May you find that the Lord is working everything out and will show Himself miraculous in your eleventh hour.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for being the God of miracles. Thank You for working out every circumstance in my life. Thank You for coming to me in the eleventh hour so that I can see You work as the Almighty God that You are. Thank You for all You do for me and All You are. You are the God of the universe and God of my heart. I pray that You will continue to increase my faith through every trial I go through and every miracle I see You do. Help me see You work, Lord. I do not want to miss You. I praise You, Father! I praise Your holy name! Help me look to You for help and assurance instead of the world. Keep my eyes on Your, Lord. May my heart and soul be filled with Your love and wisdom. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM the God Who sees your need, My child, and I will take care of you.
Response: Thank you, Almighty and All-Powerful Lord.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.