24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

This passage in Acts makes some incredible statements about God’s involvement in history. Paul is clearly saying that God has predetermined the fate of all the nations. He has determined what nations have existed. God has set the their exact borders. Not only that, He has determined how long they will remain within those borders. God has also decided what nations will exist in the future and what their borders will be. In a very real sense history is HIS story. Without doubt God is involved in the geo-political aspects of our world.

The nations of the world are in upheaval. The UN does not determine what happens with the nations. But God Himself does.

This passage in Acts talks about God’s firm hand setting boundaries and times for all the nations. God determines this history, so that “men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him’’ One of God’s purposes in setting the times and boundaries of nations, is so men might come to know Him. Something about the turmoil, upheaval and division of the nations, tends to turn people’s hearts towards God.

There is nothing like wartime to turn the hearts of people to God. During the civil war in the US, there were great revivals on both sides. As the saying goes, there are no atheists in battle trenches. Uncertainty and upheaval cause our hearts to seek God. When there is turmoil among the nations, God is still firmly in charge.

How should we view this war? Christians have widely different perspectives. But as believers, I think we can all agree that God is actively involved. This is a rare time, when more hearts will be open to Jesus.

After 9/11 we had a short period when people were really seeking for God. In this time of war and uncertainty, people’s hearts will again be open. We have to be ready to respond to any opportunities God presents to us in the coming days. Pray to be ready to respond to seeking questions from those your meet. Be on the lookout for those tell tale signs of someone seeking for answers.

Seek God for creative ways to serve. In an effort to reach out to Military families in our area, a few house churches and a local Church are partnering to set aside a night to watch kids for military spouses that are at home alone with their kids due to deployments.

Our thought was that some of these mom’s (and stay at home dads) have no break from taking care of their kids. We are going to try it and see how it works…

Keep your eyes and hearts open. God is in charge. The nations are in the palm of His hand.

For any comments and discussion concerning this topic click on this link for a discussion forum on this topic

Discussion Forum