The Fingerprints of God
6/3/25 Bible Thought (Acts 23)
I’m sure we all have questions about heaven.
We see beautiful pictures in Scripture, but they never seem to be complete. Surely, there will be much more for us to see than we’re aware of now.
One of the things that I would be so fascinated to see would be a replay of my life where I can see in real-time God’s hand at work. I want to see His acts of providence where His fingerprints were all over my story that perhaps I missed in the moment.
We see a great example of this in Acts 23.
Paul is on trial. He had testified before the crowds and was now testifying before the religious council.
After he split the council wide open by appealing to the differences of the various Jewish sects that were present, some of the Jews plotted to kill Paul. So much so, that 40 of them bind themselves with an oath that they won’t eat or drink until he’s dead (Acts 23:12). Once the council summons for him again, he’ll be ambushed and finally the Jews could wash their hands of Paul.
Yet, it just so happened that Paul’s nephew was within earshot of the plot. The Roman tribune is told, and as a result Paul is escorted by night to another place.
What did it take to get Paul’s nephew, whom we’ve never heard of and know nothing about to be there at just the right time? We’ll never know, but certainly God’s hand was in it all.
For the Lord Jesus had just told Paul,
“Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome” (Acts 23:11).
Likewise at his conversion, the Lord said that Paul would be testifying before Gentiles and kings (Acts 9:15).
Now, if Paul were to die in Jerusalem at the hands of some oath-bound Jews, the plans of Jesus wouldn’t have come to fruition. He wouldn’t have made it to Rome. He wouldn’t have testified before kings.
Yet, the Lord keeps His promises and His plans fail not.
So, at just the right time, this nephew of Paul’s was where he needed to be in order to get some life-saving news for his uncle. It might not be flashy, but it’s an act of God. It might not be as supernatural as the resurrection, but surely it was the result of God’s hand.
A few weeks ago, my family was traveling to my cousin’s wedding in Ohio.
At a certain point on the trip, while we were barreling down the highway, a semi drifted suddenly into our lane. Without time to think about it, I jerked into the lane next to us. Had I not done so, without a doubt we would’ve been run over. The man driving the truck clearly didn’t see us or was so unaware that he didn’t even know that he switched lanes.
In conversation with my wife shortly thereafter, we realized I never even looked before I switched lanes.
I honestly didn’t have any time, or it would’ve been too late. Thank God, and truly, thank God there was no one in that other lane. All of this makes me wonder at the interruptions we face on a trip—construction zones, no passing zones, bathroom stops—and how they might factor into God’s plan.
Perhaps these natural occurrences are part of God’s supernatural plan.
By His providence He kept us that day. Perhaps we were the ones interrupted along the road, or perhaps the car that should’ve been in the left lane was at a gas station and their children were using the bathroom unexpectedly.
Truly, I am convinced that God is more involved in the details and fine print of our lives than we’ll ever know this side of eternity. Perhaps, when we get to the other side, He’ll let us see just how intimately He cared for us here on earth.
Maybe then, we ought to see the interruptions or unexpected events in life as acts of providence that are heaven-sent for our good, even though they might not feel good in the moment.