I was at church and I heard the Pastor say, “We want to depend on God, but can God depend on you?” This statement caused me to pause and ponder. We want God to be there for us and meet our needs. We expect Him to answer when we call. Not to mention when people wrong us, we want Him to come to our defense and enact vengeance. Although the Bible says we will have trials, tribulations, and suffering, we expect Him to keep us from all of it. Yes, we depend on God, but can He depend on us?
The Story: Acts 6:8-15
In Acts 6:8-15, Stephen was full of the grace and power of God. As a result, he performed signs and wonders among the people. Because of his actions, conspirators claimed that he spoke blasphemous and endeavored to change the traditions and customs of Moses. Therefore, Stephen was brought before the Council for the allegations.
He addressed the accusations levied against him. He responded with Israel’s history of rejecting the people sent by God as a comparison of how the Council treated him. Although Stephen spoke truth, the verdict was for him to die. He wasn’t concerned about the verdict because he knew who was with him. Therefore, Stephen worshipped as the people stoned him to death.
The Lesson
As we see from Acts 6, God could depend on Stephen. What about you? How do you respond when people betray you? What’s your response when people mistreat you? Do you have a worship when the report isn’t what you expected? Can God depend on you?
Our response to adversity can either testify of Jesus or cast doubt. Our posture in the midst of trouble provides a glimpse of where our hope lies. Please remember that God never promised us a life of ease (John 16:33). Despite this promise, we act shocked when trouble comes. If we can recover from the shock and persevere in faith, victory will belong to God and us. Every time we overcome in faith, God gets the glory (Matthew 5:16). James 1:12 tells us that we receive the crown of life after we withstood the test. Also, Galatians 6:9 confirms that we will reap if we don’t give up in doing good. Therefore, God can depend on us when we rely on Him in the struggle. When we give Him glory despite our situation, we reveal Him to others. Therefore, we make ourselves witnesses of God. So can God depend on you?
