Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter. Acts 12:18
I told a Christian one time about the news story that I was covering that day. The story was about an industry that was shutting down, leaving some 200 people out of work. The Christian rejoiced because although the world saw that business closure as a loss, the Christian saw it as a gain, because the plant that was closing was a brewery.
Our text is no doubt an understatement about what went on at that jail! Can you imagine the two soldiers who were chained to Peter, one to each arm? There is no doubt that when the angel came to release Peter, he also caused the soldiers to sleep soundly, probably for the rest of the night. When they awoke, the chains were there but Peter was gone! The door was still firmly locked; where could Peter have gone? And, what were they going to tell the guards at the door? And what about those guards on the inner door? They could see that the door had somehow opened, something that should have caused enough noise to awaken them. Nobody could have made it past them without their hearing and seeing. But they would join the confusion of the soldiers inside when they found the valuable prisoner gone. And they would soon be joined by the guard from the outside door and from the outer gate. Both of these would have been impossible for anyone to open, and yet they were ajar. The words ‘no small stir’ reflect amazement, alarm, and confusion. God’s miracles do that to His enemies.
People in the world are confused by the decision of a promising young hockey player to give up a lucrative and exciting career as a professional athlete to honour the claims of Christ after being saved. Think of the case of a professional baseball player of a century ago who left behind a great career and became the well-known evangelist Billy Sunday. The world can’t explain these things. Nor can it explain the great change that God has wrought in the sinful and destructive lives such as that of the drug addict and peddler known as Peter Orasuk who trusted Christ and was then used of God to lead many others to his Saviour. God’s moving in his mysterious ways often confounds the little plans of the world. And we look at their confusion and give thanks that we can see beyond those little plans and appreciate God’s purposes.
God’s plans and God’s miracles should always give God’s people cause to rejoice, even if they give the world amazement, alarm, and confusion. -Jim MacIntosh