Tuesday, October 25 – Acts 12:6-10

On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near Peter, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Put on your belt and strap on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” And he went out and continued to follow, and yet he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. Now when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

Have you ever been overwhelmed with the number of things you need to get done in a day? Often in these moments, the best thing is to take the day step by step, completing one task at a time until you get them all done.

In this passage, Peter was shocked to be awakened by an angel. The disorientation continued as the angel led him, step by step out of the prison. There were times in Peter’s ministry that God would clearly give Peter prompting or insight about what would happen next, but at this moment, God guided Peter through His messenger, leading him to the next right step without giving him the full picture. These were some risky steps to say the least, but because Peter knew it was an angel of the Lord guiding him, he had no questions.

As God leads us, we often want to know His whole plan in advance. Sometimes we can know God’s direction clearly, but many times, He leads us by presenting us with the next step—giving us our daily bread. When He leads us this way, we may get frustrated by not knowing where we will end up or how we will possibly get through all the obstacles, but we are called to keep relying on Him, trusting in His power and strength to get us through. Let’s trust God like Peter did—even when it is risky—to guide us to the next step and bring the plan together in His timing.

• What circumstances in your life have you been praying about? Have you been waiting on God’s whole plan? What do you know about the next step?
• Do you like to have a plan or plan as you go? Why? How does that affect your relationship with God?
• Pray and be honest with God about the circumstances you are facing. Ask Him to guide you in your next step to follow Him.