21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
Sometimes what we think is necessary, really isn’t. I think this is an example of such a choice. Remember, this is prior to the transformation of the disciples on the Day of Pentecost through the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter is still the old Peter. The Spirit was not active in him like after the infilling that takes place on that day. Peter is trying to do what is right. They have been in the upper room as Jesus told them to be. They are waiting for the fulfillment of the promise Jesus made. They don’t know what that will be, but he wants to make sure they are prepared. It seems to me that he takes matters into his own hands. He rushes ahead of the Lord. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so. Peter sees an empty spot left as a result of Judas suicide. He knows there are supposed to be twelve disciples, so he steps up and helps out the Lord. There were other men who were followers of Jesus other than the twelve we have followed in the Gospels. There was a group of both men and women who followed and witnessed the events of Jesus’ life. And many of them are there with Peter following Jesus death, burial and resurrection. They too are waiting for the promise of Jesus. They are active followers. They want God working in their lives. They don’t want to be left out. So Peter wants to fill Judas’ spot with one of them. The funny thing about this process is that it seems on the surface to be so ‘spiritual’. They use all the old ways of determining God’s will. They pray, they cast the lots and they take action on the results. But God’s will and his direction on our lives is not a matter of casting lots. God will confirm His will in multiple ways in our lives. His Word, prayer, the counsel of other mature believers and circumstances will all confirm His will. There are few decisions that need to happen NOW. Most of the NOW is our doing not the Lord’s. We get impatient; He does not. So next time you feel the rush to make a decision, stop and see who is doing the rushing. If it is not life and death, probably the decision does not need to be made right now. Rest in Him. Be sure it is the Lord and not you.
The Arnold Journey 