Acts chapter verses 9-13 (NIV)
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to humankind by which we must be saved.” When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
2 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 8-9 (NIV)
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Six weeks before the event we read of here in the book of Acts, Peter had been so afraid of being arrested, he’d denied even knowing Jesus. Yet here he is, in front of the very people he’d been so afraid of, and he’s rebuking them for the way they treated Jesus. So what changed? Verse 9 tells us that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was not acting in his own strength. He was allowing the Holy Spirit to move through him. And the leaders were astonished at his courage. They also knew that Peter and John were unlearned men, and they recognised they had been with Jesus. It was the Holy Spirit who made the difference.
As Christians, we too have the Holy Spirit within us. People can be naturally gifted in different ways. They may be practical, they may creative, they may be a scholar, or they may be a good speaker. Of course God may use these abilities for His Glory. However, in my personal experience, He often prefers to take us out of our comfort zone, and use us in ways that we would not choose for ourselves. Why? So that we are not relying on our own strength, and like Peter, are having to trust in the Holy Spirit’s power. That way we can claim no credit in natural ability and all the glory goes back to God where it should be. Even Paul, learned scholar as he was, could not rely on what he’d learned but only allow the power of God to move through his weakness.
So if God chooses to use us in a way we would naturally prefer not to be used in, we too need to remember that God’s power is made perfect even in our weakness.
Dear Lord,
Thank You that You will use us in a way that brings You glory, even if we have to die to our own preferences. Help me to be obedient even when You take me out of my comfort zone. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.