When Circumstances Contradict God's Promise — E.A. Johnston

Faith and the Promise of Flourishing

I have a message on faith that I'd like to bring you to-night, friends. I like the verse in my Bible from Psalm 92 -22 that declares, The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. I live in a city of palm trees.

Everywhere I turn and everywhere I look is a palm tree. Right now as I look outside my window, I see a palm tree. We had a bad hurricane here in Florida this year, and some of the palm trees didn't make it, but most of them did.

It is said about the palm tree, The more it is pressed down, the more it grows. Kind of like us Christians. Recently I was brought to face a personal challenge in my spiritual life. If God says something, isn't it so?

If God has given me a promise, shouldn't it be realized? If God has told me in his word that the righteous shall flourish, then why am I not flourishing? Something must be wrong with either the word of God or with me.

So I must search myself to see where I am out of sync with the heart of God and ask him to align me to him by his spirit. I believe, friends, that God wants to prosper us to support his work and advance his kingdom.

Now some of you will say I've gone off on a tangent and now I'm a prosperity preacher. All I'm saying is that God wants you to flourish like a tree of righteousness. He wants to grow your roots deep and water them with his rivers that flow out in abundance in your life and that you will be a channel of blessings to others.

God wants you in such a close, intimate, harmonious walk with him that you will overflow with the presence of God. Wouldn't that be wonderful, friend? Now the title of my message this evening is When Circumstances Contradict God's Promise.

Peter in Prison: The Promise in Acts 12

And my text can be found in the book of Acts in chapter 12. You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends. We will be in verses 1 through 11. I get a kick out of the Apostle Peter more than any of the other disciples because I can relate to him the most.

He was always putting his foot in his mouth, but he also was willing to go out on a limb for God by faith. He didn't mind stepping out on the water because he knew that Jesus was able to do anything, and he believed it.

In our passage this evening, we find Peter in a jam, and he can't get out of it, and it looks pretty hopeless to him. Let me read us our text at this time. Here now is the word of God, and may the Spirit of the Lord be pleased to attend the reading of his holy word.

Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church, and he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. And because he sought to please the Jews, he proceeded to take Peter also.

Then were the days of unleavened bread. Let me pause here, friends. Hot persecution was falling upon the early church, just as Jesus had said it would. It has been said that the church sleeps in times of prosperity and thrives in persecution, and I believe that's true, friends.

That's why the church in America is so dead and sound asleep right now on pillows of conformity and compromise, and the church in third world countries is thriving under hot persecution. Well, let's return to our text.

And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four quarter nines of soldiers to keep him, intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter, therefore, was kept in prison.

But prayer was made with outceasing of the church unto God for him. Let me pause here, friends. Here is Peter, taken by cruel hands, and shut up in chains in jail with sixteen soldiers on guard, and James had just been martyred by the sword, and all Peter can think about is how he is next.

It looks pretty hopeless to him, and his time is running out, for he is on death row for sure. Now I want to look at this from a vantage point that Peter is hard-pressed to see at this time. There is something taking place here.

His circumstances contradict the promise of God to him. Peter is still a young man, getting ready to be headed. But when we look into the Gospel of John, in chapter 21, and verse 18, we read what Christ promised and foretold about Peter.

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkest whither thou wouldest. But when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee, whither thou wouldest not.

So we see here a stark contrast and a big contradiction in the life of Peter and the promise of God to him. Jesus said Peter would die an old man, for his testimony in him. So why is Peter sitting on death row, as a young man here, in Herod the butcher's jail?

I wonder if this entered Peter's mind. I can't help but believe it did. He was probably saying to himself, How can this be? My master said otherwise, but my circumstances speak against him. There are several aspects, friends, which I would want to draw out from this message on faith this evening.

God Is at Work When Circumstances Contradict His Promise

Number one. When our circumstances contradict God's promise to us, then we can rest assured that God is up to something. He is at work in our life, too, willing to do, by the transforming power of His Holy Spirit, to make us more Christ-like, to make us more useful, make us more fruitful, and more glorifying to God.

Desperate Prayer and the Church's Response

So here is Peter, in Herod's prison, on death row. But God is up to something, because His promise cannot be broken, and His word will not return void. Number two. When we find ourselves in this contradiction to God's promise, then the next step is to enjoin His saints, to enter desperate prayer on our behalf, and to besiege His throne room with a holy boldness and confidence that God is a God who answers prayer.

Notice how Peter's predicament drives the church to her knees. The text reads, But prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for Him. The ropes of prayer are thrown up to heaven, and are fastened securely to the horns of the altar by the praying saints of God.

Waiting Upon God and Standing on His Promises

O friends, how we fail to realize the power of prayer. I don't mean casual prayer, but holy, desperate prayer, breathed out in a holy sweat to God. The third aspect is, Our next step is to wait upon God, and stand on His promises.

The doctrine of waiting upon God is a rich study in the scriptures, friends. It is a deep well of refreshing water. Remember Abraham, and God's promise to him that He would give him a son. Well, time went by, and Abraham got older and older, and in his old age foolishness, he went into Hagar to help God along.

But his impatience just caused him a mess of trouble. It pleased God to give him a son when he was as good as dead, so that God could get the glory. Waiting upon the promises of God is what we ought to do.

Expecting God's Miraculous Deliverance

Lastly, when your circumstances contradict God's promise in your life, then look up and expect a miracle. God is still a miracle-working God. Yes, He is, friends. And what did God do when Peter was at the end of his rope, and his neck was on the line?

God sent an angel to deliver him. Look at verse 7. And behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison. And he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly.

And his chains fell off from his hands. God came and answered a prayer. God came to fulfill His promise. God came to bring glory to Himself by performing what man cannot. I like what Matthew Henry says about this passage.

He writes, God's time to help is when things are brought to the last extremity, when there is none shut up or left. And he quotes Deuteronomy 32 .36, which reads,. For the Lord shall judge His people and repent Himself for His servants when He seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up or left.

In other words, when all human resources are depleted, and all human help is gone, and only a divine work of God can get the job done, then that is when God shows up in His might and in His power. Here Peter is between two soldiers, bound in chains, and a watch is put at the door, and there's no way on earth he can get out of his circumstance or escape by human methods.

And that's when God comes. That's when God works, friends. That's how the church used to work in this country about 200 years ago. When revival was afoot in the land, God was at work. But we don't see Him work today much anymore because we'd rather get the job done with money and manpower rather than by prayer and Holy Ghost power.

Trusting God's Promise for His Good and Glory

Remember, friend, if you find yourself in a circumstance that contradicts God's promise to you, then first examine yourself to be sure you are in harmony with God. Then go to your knees in desperate prayer.

Stand on God's word and trust His promises. Wait upon God and believe. And look up and expect a miracle because God is up to something in your life for your good and His glory. Well, I hope this little message on faith has been a help to you, friend.

It sure has helped me. May God perform all He has promised you, friend. And may you enjoy His presence as He works in your life to make you more like His dear son Jesus and to glorify Him. Let us pray.