Why do the nations rage?

I enjoy discovering a verse to a Christian song as I’m reading my Bible. In today’s devotional, we’ll be looking at Acts 4:26 NIV. This passage is used in a favorite song of mine written and sung by the late Rich Mullens. His song, “Why do the nations rage,” is powerful. Here’s his opening verse:

Why do the nations rage? 
Why do they plot and scheme? 
Their bullets can’t stop the prayers we pray In the name of the Prince of Peace 
We walk in faith and remember long ago 
How they killed Him and then how on the third day He arose 
Well, things may look bad 
And things may look grim 
But all these things must pass except the things that are of Him

Rich Mullens

The Action Scene

On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

“Why do the nations rage 
      and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up
            and the rulers band together
     against the Lord
            and against his anointed one.”

Acts 4:23-26 NIV

The Church’s Prayer

These words are parts of the Church’s prayer on the occasion of Her first collision with civil powers. The Bible provides a detailed accounting of this occasion in Acts, chapters three and four. Regarding this affair, MacLaren’s Expositions states:

“The incident is recorded at full length because it is the first of a long and bloody series, in order that succeeding generations might learn their true weapon and their sure defense. Prayer is the right answer to the world’s hostility, and they who only ask for courage to stand by their confession will never ask in vain.”

Prayer is the first and best weapon Christians have for dealing with confrontation. We have the armor which Paul wrote about, and we need to wear it. We need to saturate everything in prayer. The battle is not ours to win; it is God’s. A related post can be found here:  https://rockexcavationservice.org/acts-541-counted-worthy-of-suffering-disgrace-for-the-name-of-jesus/

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Photo by Pedro Lima on Unsplash