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"And as [Peter and John] were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, 'By what power or by what name did you do this?'" (Acts 4:1-7 ESV)
Did you catch those names? Peter and John are facing Annas and Caiaphas, the very men who got Jesus crucified. It was at Annas' house that Peter was so terrified he denied he even knew Jesus. Both John and Peter have good reason to be afraid.
And yet there they stand, facing the same men not three months later—and they speak up bravely (see Acts 4:13). Peter in particular doesn't pull his punches. He says, "Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by Him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:10-12).
Where did that courage come from? From the Holy Spirit. It takes the power of God to turn scared rabbits into people who loudly and joyfully testify that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, who died and rose again to rescue us from our sins. On their own these men could not have done it; but with the Spirit of Jesus living within them, they could do anything—even face death without fear.
That kind of help is still available to us today, because we also face fear. It may not be fear of religious persecution—although that still happens in today's world. But it may be something just as frightening to us. A diagnosis of dementia. A lost job that comes at just the wrong time. The death of a loved one. The first frightening cracks in a marriage.
Then we can do what John and Peter did, and trust ourselves to the God who loves us and came into this world to save us. We can cry out, "Lord, help us!" Jesus will hold us up no matter what comes, for He has been through suffering Himself. Jesus our Savior has faced fear and overcome it—and He will carry us through our own times of terror as well.
We Pray: Dear Lord, when I'm terrified, be close to me and carry me through. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on April 16, 2024
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights
Reflection Questions:
1. When you are afraid, where do you seek help? Why?
2. How do you know that Jesus understands fear?
3. If you are willing, tell about a time God helped you to deal with something that frightened you.
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