Here’s the back story to this verse. The church was newly off the ground and thousands had been added to the church. But the gospel had been primarily given to the Jewish people. Of course, God’s plan was bigger than that though. The law stated that Jewish people were not allowed to enter a Gentile home because it would be considered unclean. On this day, Peter was on the roof praying and he had a vision and he heard God say, “What I have made unclean is now clean.” Long story short, Peter realized that God was speaking about the Gentiles. So, he goes to Caesarea, enters a Gentile’s home, and everyone in that home gets saved. Hence, the gospel has now expanded to the Gentiles *** A fabulous story in Acts 10 that perhaps we should read again.
The Jewish believers had heard about it and when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, he was criticized for entering a Gentile home. So, he explains to them exactly what had happened… the vision from God, the journey to Caesarea, the movement of the Holy Spirit, and all the people who were saved. In his explanation, he said, “Who was I to stand in God’s way?”
What a question and something we should keep in mind as we move forward with the work God has put before us. These words remind me that when it comes to this journey with Christ, we need to be flexible. I don’t know about you, but I cringe at the thought of ever standing in the way of the Holy Spirit’s work and mission. We have surrendered to God’s call. We have said YES LORD. So, we need to make sure we step out of His way and let Him accomplish His perfect work.
Everything God asks us to do will NEVER go against Scripture. NEVER! But it may go against my comfort, my agenda, my plans, my insecurities, my selfishness, my perceptions. When we get up in the morning with our list of things to do, God may say: “Not today. I have something else I want you to do.” Flexibility is vital in this Christian journey.
Let’s go before God today and say, “Lord, I want your will to be done. Help me to step out of the way.” Hope this encourages you today.