Acts 4: 27-28
Herod and Pontius Pilate along with the Gentiles and the people of Israel ... [did] whatever God purposed to be done.
God's hand led them in the choices and decisions they thought they freely made. Even these evil people, choosing to do their evil deeds, God used for His own purposes. God used them to further His program through the fulfilment of Scripture in carrying out Jesus' sacrifice as the Lamb of God.
And the worst event that ever happened in the whole history of Mankind--the murder of God--God used for our very best and highest benefit!
5: 41
Rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His Name.
"Worthy to suffer" is not a distinction any healthy person would desire. But God trusts His favorite children to come through some pretty awful stuff, and still praise Him!
O my Father, Your ways are not our ways. I can imagine in the halls of Eternity Past, when You decided to create, You discussed among Father and Son and Spirit what You would make, how it would run, and who would populate it. And what You would do to take care of things in any circumstance.
And to give these people a will free enough to choose or reject You, because You want us to choose You. And I can see the Son agreeing to take full responsibility for these Men, when we would decide to reject Your authority and look to ourselves instead of You.
You the Son as our Lord God Almighty, walked with Adam in the garden, gave the Law to Moses, appeared to Isaiah "sitting upon a Throne, high and lifted up," and showed Ezekiel great Heavenly marvels of "a wheel in the middle of a wheel," and the "spirit of the living creature was in the wheels."
You gave all the Laws and prophesies to show Your people what Messiah would accomplish when He came to rescue us; and You will return to claim Your Kingdom and finish all the rest of what You said would come to pass.
Not one point of a dot or the smallest stroke of a pen will disappear until every jod and tittle is fulfilled in full. You say what You mean and You mean what You say. Every time. About every thing.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
