NAVIGATING THROUGH SYSTEMS

Acts 12:1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.

It was not Herod the man, but Herod the king who had set out to harass the church. This context is relevant because it tells us the calibre of the man who had decided to vex the company of believers. He was one with authority and power, and was a part of the system that had influence over the affairs of the church at the time. Even in the eyes of God, his conferred authority was valid, although it was not being used to honour God.

For such men who are gatekeepers with authority over, and within systems, rarely does God cast them out. Your prayer for the same to happen is unlikely to achieve any different results. Therefore, in the midst of such systems, what God does is create an alternative that cushions the believer.  This is described in proverbs 16:7 “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

In a like manner, those who have the potential to resist, harass or ‘lay hands’ on you are made to be at peace with you because it is only in the presence of true peace that thriving happens. So the question to ponder on is ‘do my ways please the Lord?’

#sly