Providential Protection

Acts 5:17-26

What comes to your mind when we say Providential Protection? God's protection? Some mysterious way that God protects His people?

What if I tell you there is more than that? Think about the everyday challenges we face: the anxiety of financial instability, the uncertainty of our health, or the safety of our loved ones. In these times, the idea of Providential Protection becomes a comforting assurance that we are not alone, but guided and guarded in our daily struggles.

We, as people of the United States of America, often expect our government to protect us, as the Framing Fathers understood when they penned the Constitution, ensuring the protection of its citizens, both domestic and foreign. Yet, as we rely on the safety net provided by institutions such as police, fire, and medical teams, we must also consider the profound peace that comes from our faith in God. While these civic protections are tangible, true security lies in the divine providence that governs our lives. As we lay our heads down at night, it is not only the presence of governmental safeguards that grants us repose, but, more importantly, the trust in the greater cosmic care and guidance that God provides.

How deeply do we rely on and trust this divine protection in our lives?

What is Providential Protection? This refers to the belief that God actively governs and preserves creation, ensuring the safety and welfare of His people through guidance and deliverance from harm. The concept is often illustrated in biblical stories in which God’s intervention protects individuals or groups in times of danger. Throughout the Bible, we see this portrayed. We just read in these verses God’s Providential Protection of Peter and John. 

Luke, in his detailed account of what happened to the apostles, illustrates two key principles of God’s protection. First, nothing will stand between God and His protection. Second, God’s plan in our lives will always come to fruition. 

No Weapon: Isaiah 54:17

The Pharisees were filled with jealousy. This is not the first time they have been filled with jealousy. They have always been jealous of Christ and His disciples. The Greek word for jealousy is “zelou,” whose root is ‘zelos,’ meaning jealous, zeal, ardor. To have a deep resentment for someone or something.

Remember when Christ said these words, “Truly, Truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am.” John 8:58. At that moment, they wanted to kill Jesus. They were already full of jealousy and rage against Him; this incident pushed them to His plan. The apostles and disciples were doing what God wanted through the Name of Jesus being proclaimed, and this kept the jealousy and rage burning in the religious elite. Not because of them but because of Christ in them.

John 8:58 NASB95

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”

What they failed to realize is that they were fighting a losing battle. When we are called His people, no weapon formed against us can prosper, Isaiah 54:17. His plan will always come through, and nothing can stop it. 

Isaiah 54:17 LSB

“No weapon that is formed against you will succeed; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the inheritance of the slaves of Yahweh, And their righteousness is from Me,” declares Yahweh.

They were thrown in prison, and while they were sitting there, God sent an angel to free them. I want you to try to picture this. You are in prison, pondering what will happen next, and blam an angel of the Lord appears. What do you think was running through their minds? He opens the gates and takes them out. What dilemma do you think they were facing? There was a song back in the day with these words: “Should I stay or should I go now?”

But listen to what the angel said, “Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this life.”There are two imperative verbs in this verse. Go, which is what Christ has commanded all His bride. The second is speak, which is also what all the bride is commanded to do. What were they commanded to speak, the whole message of life?

John 3:16: it is not the desire of God that any should perish, because life belongs to Christ, and all who call upon His name shall be saved (Romans 10:13). 

John 3:16 NKJV

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 10:13 LSB

for “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

God’s Plan:

What is God’s plan? To save His people. How is this accomplished? Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The blood of Christ is not partial to one people group; it is for all those who hear the Gospel and respond. Not even prison can hold back the Gospel. Death has no power over the Gospel or those who belong to Christ. 

What I love about this passage is that the entire time, the Pharisees were oblivious to what was happening. They were not privy to God’s plan because of their pride in their lives. How many of us miss out on God’s plan because of our pride?

For instance, God’s plan for us is to sell and move to the YMCA. He is waiting for us to join Him and has opened doors to ministry in partnership with the Y. I have prayed for God to bring in more workers, and He has given us the Y and their staff to help. Our prison has been a debt and a building that consumes us. But just as God sent the angel, He has sent us a buyer. So we can leave the prison and enter the community to preach the message of life. To help ensure a smooth transition and bring our community together in this effort, we need your involvement and support. Here are some specific ways you can participate: volunteer to help with moving and setting up at the new location, join the planning committee for our new ministry initiatives, or partner with the YMCA staff in hosting community outreach events. Your contributions, whether time, skills, or resources, are crucial as we embrace this new chapter of our mission.

God’s plans are so much more extraordinary than ours. Isaiah 55:8-9. 

Isaiah 55:8–9 LSB

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares Yahweh. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

They walked out of prison and started preaching. The guards are sent to retrieve them, only to find everything locked up and nobody there. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall. They went back and told the Pharisees what they found. Listen to what Luke writes in verse 24. They were greatly perplexed is an understatement. They were confused and did not know what to do. How could they have vanished? I wonder if they first thought that God removed them for their blasphemy?

Pride will cause people to think that God is on their side and not opposing them. Our zeal can mislead us, Galatians 4:17. The Judaizers were sincere but misguided in their zeal.So how do we apply these verses to live with confidence?

Galatians 4:17 LSB

They zealously seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will zealously seek them.

There is more than just knowing God’s providential protection; we must believe it’s covering us. We can have this assurance through His Word and through our prayer lives. Incorporating daily prayer habits into our routine helps us stay grounded and reassured of His presence. For instance, starting and ending each day with gratitude in prayer can reinforce our trust in His plans. Furthermore, surrounding ourselves with a supportive community, such as a fellowship group, can provide strength and encouragement, reminding us that we are part of a bigger plan and not alone in our struggles. Even when the enemy is attacking, we can stand tall knowing that God is in control. 

The beauty of His Word is the assurance for His people. Even when we have strayed off the path, He is a loving and forgiving Father. Isaiah 55:6-7.We can have our own prison gates open the moment we call on His Name!

Isaiah 55:6–7 LSB

Seek Yahweh while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to Yahweh, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.