Too Good To Be True?

Too Good to Be True?

Surprised Saints

Read: Acts 12:16-19

Greta walked out of her boss’s office in shock. Had she really been given the promotion? Although she had applied for every senior management position that came up, Greta couldn’t believe that she had finally been accepted for one of them. It seemed too good to be true.

The believers in today’s passage couldn’t believe it when they got what they had been hoping for. At the time of Peter’s arrest, Herod had been persecuting the Christians in Jerusalem. He had already executed James, and Peter seemed to be next in line. Knowing that their leader was in grave danger, the believers had gathered to pray throughout the night for Peter’s safety, yet when God answered their prayers, they couldn’t believe it. How could a heavily guarded man in Herod’s prison possibly have escaped? In their shock and disbelief, the group left poor Peter standing outside.

In a world full of trickery, deception, and scam artists, it pays to be skeptical at times. Over the years, I’ve learned to doubt all those announcements that I’ve won a Florida vacation or “one of the following valuable prizes.” My husband likes to remind me that “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!”

We shouldn’t go by that rule in our spiritual lives, however. Since we know that nothing is impossible for God, why are we surprised when he performs miracles? Why should we be shocked when the doctor says that the tumor has disappeared, a hopeless marriage is restored, or a life is changed? Although we don’t always get what we want, the Bible urges us to believe in God’s power and expect him to act when we pray. Then we won’t be like the believers in Jerusalem who didn’t even recognize it when God gave them exactly what they had been asking for.

I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!

Mark 9:24