So Paul got up, motioned with his hand, and said,
Fellow children of Israel and you others who are God-fearing, listen.
The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors
and exalted the people during their sojourn in the land of Egypt.
— Acts 13:13-25
The Lord be with you. Today Paul does this wonderful summary of God’s plan from the time of the Exodus to the time of Jesus. He’s doing this to try to prove to his Jewish brothers that Jesus is the one they have been waiting for and the scriptures promised.
What is more striking for me is that Paul’s summary of salvation history demonstrates that God does not act in arbitrary or random ways. God intentionally pursued us, protected us, and worked to build a relationship with us. The beauty of this is that it did not stop with Jesus’s resurrection and ascension into heaven — he walks with us today.
It’s hard to understand why things unfold as they do, but independent of how that unfolding occurs, God in the person of Jesus is walking with us and will support us each moment of every day. This is central to the message of our faith, and I do not know about you, but I need to be reminded — I need to remember this every day.
Heavenly Father, despite all that may happen today please help me to remember the gift of your friendship, to treasure it always, to protect it from defilement and distraction. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.