Signs We Desire

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 7:51—8:1A ~~~ Psalm 31 ~~~

~~~ John 6:30-35 ~~~

The crowd said to Jesus:

“What sign can you do, that we 

may see and believe in you?

We may not want to admit it, but

most of the time we are asking the very same question.

We too want God too reveal himself in a way that we expect.

We too come with our preconceived ideas of who God is.

We too want signs...we too want to feel His presence.

We too want to see his works in our life...

in the lives of our loved ones.

We too are confused by the signs we are given.

We too overlook the manna from heaven.

We too take the goodness of God for granted.

 “Behold, I see the heavens opened

and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Stephen was given a visible sign

 as he was being stoned to death.

His death was overseen by none other

 than Saul, who would be called Paul.

Stephen was martyred

 in spite of his passion for the Lord. 

Stephen might have wanted to have been

 spared from death by stoning,

but God withheld his sign

 until his death was immanent.

“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

within the pain of being pummeled with rocks,

Stephen calls on Jesus to receive him in heaven.

He goes on to forgive his executioners

even as they hurl more rocks at his body.

Stephen knew that his physical body

 was not the body God would take.

He knew that the very essence of who he was...

 his spirit...his soul...that is what would 

live on in heaven with Jesus.

 “I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me will never hunger,

and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

I pray that when my final days come

I too may be able to release all anxieties and

say into your hands I commend my spirit.

Blessings as we desire to imitate Stephen

in our final hours.

~~~Peace~~~