Acts 23:12-35 "Ordinary Miracles"
Whenever I read through the Bible, I get a little envious. Moses gets a burning bush that speaks with the audible voice of God. Elijah prays a two-sentence prayer and fire drops out of a clear blue sky to incinerate an altar soaked in water. Peter gets tapped on the shoulder by an angel who walks him past iron gates and sleeping guards.
Then I look at my own ordinary life and I wonder, “where’s my miracles? Why doesn’t God part the Red Sea for me when the Houston streets flood? Wouldn't it make things so much better if God just flexed those divine muscles and showed off a little bit—show me He’s really paying attention? I want cosmic signs, a booming voice, and obvious miracles that give me absolute certainty and take away all my doubts.
We all think the same thing. “I believe You’re there, God… but it’d sure be great if You could prove it now and then.” We think: If God would just show up with an undeniable sign, that’d change everything. Imagine if God did some massive miracle in front of our unbelieving friends, our skeptical family members, our faithless coworkers—wouldn’t everybody instantly fall to their knees and believe?
Probably not.
It seems reasonable, but that’s not how it tends to work. The same people who watched the ten plagues shatter Egypt, who walked through the Red Sea on dry ground with walls of water on either side, and then walked around the desert following a visible glory cloud by day and a holy pillar of fire by night—these are the same people who worshiped a golden calf the minute Moses stepped away to pray. They complained and lost their faith while eating magic bread that literally dropped out of the sky every morning. The entire Old Testament is the history of God performing miraculous signs while the people who saw them with their own eyes yawned and turned their hearts to gods made of stone and evil.
Then there’s the New Testament. Jesus walked around doing all kinds of signs and wonders. He multiplied fish and bread out of thin air, walked on water, silenced thunderstorms, and raised dead people back to life—including Himself. What did the people do? “Meh.” Called Him a lunatic, said He was of the devil—asked for another sign. “Dance for us Jesus monkey. Do another trick for us!” Not only Jesus… God worked through Peter, John, and Paul to heal the sick and cast out demons, raise the dead—but people with their hard hearts still refused to believe. The further we get in Acts, the less miracles we see. They still happen. But not on demand.
Miracles are real. God can do whatever He wants, whenever He wants. But He never promised any of us private signs, supernatural wonders, prophetic dreams, instant healings, amazing financial blessings. He wants us to ask for whatever our heart desires but He also wants us to trust that He knows what’s best. He promises to take care of us and look out for our good—but He’s mostly going to do that through all kinds of ordinary things in ordinary ways.
So, that brings us back to the Apostle Paul in the book of Acts. We’re going through the Book line by line, and last week we left Paul sitting in a jail in Jerusalem under Roman protective custody. The mob outside wants to kill him. The religious leaders want to shut him up. All because he said God is offering salvation to the Gentiles through Jesus. I mean, if anybody seems like they should get a miraculous prison-break with an earthquake and an angel riding on a white horse, it was Paul. But that’s not what happens.
Acts 23:12–15 says,
“The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. There were more than forty of them in the conspiracy. They went to the leading priests and elders and told them, ‘We have bound ourselves with an oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul. So you and the high council should ask the commander to bring Paul back to the council again. Pretend you want to examine his case more fully. We will kill him on the way.’”
More than forty men form a religious death squad. They swear a blood-oath to starve themselves until they put a dagger through Paul's heart. Can you feel the love from these men of God? They go to the religious leaders—the chief priests and elders—want them to pretend they want another legal hearing so they can butcher Paul in the alley on the way over. Paul doesn’t know anything about it—doesn’t get a vision warning him of the ambush. He’s just sitting in a stone cell, totally blind to the plot.
But look how God is working behind the scenes…
Acts 23:16 says,
“But Paul’s nephew—his sister’s son—heard of their plan and went to the fortress and told Paul. Paul called for one of the Roman officers and said, ‘Take this young man to the commander. He has something important to tell him.’ So the officer did, explaining, ‘Paul, the prisoner, called me over and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.’ The commander took his hand, led him aside, and asked, ‘What is it you want to tell me?’ Paul’s nephew told him, ‘Some Jews are going to ask you to bring Paul before the high council tomorrow, pretending they want to get some more information. But don’t do it! There are more than forty men hiding along the way ready to ambush him. They have vowed not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him. They are ready now, just waiting for your consent.’ ‘Don’t let anyone know you told me this,’ the commander warned the young man.”
God’s miracle is in the form of an ordinary kid whose name isn’t even given. Paul’s nephew happens to overhear the secret plot, sneaks into the barracks, and tells uncle Paul. This is the only mention of this kid in the New Testament. Paul tells a centurion, the centurion tells the Roman tribune, and the tribune takes the report seriously. He doesn’t want anything more to happen to Paul on his watch.
God has more very ordinary miracles up His sleeve…
Acts 23:23 says,
“Then the commander called two of his officers and ordered, ‘Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o’clock tonight. Also take 200 spearmen and 70 mounted troops. Provide horses for Paul to ride, and get him safely to Governor Felix.’ Then he wrote this letter to the governor: ‘From Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings! “This man was seized by some Jews, and they were about to kill him when I arrived with the troops. When I learned that he was a Roman citizen, I removed him to safety. Then I took him to their high council to try to learn the basis of the accusations against him. I soon discovered the charge was something regarding their religious law—certainly nothing worthy of imprisonment or death. But when I was informed of a plot to kill him, I immediately sent him on to you. I have told his accusers to bring their charges before you.”’ So that night, as ordered, the soldiers took Paul as far as Antipatris.”
Paul’s just a dude who walks around telling people about Jesus, going town to town repairing people’s tents for pocket money. He was arrested for starting a riot, now he’s got an escort of 470 heavily armed Roman soldiers—seventy on horseback—to protect him as they march him out of Jerusalem.
Pretty miraculous but God is never mentioned in this passage. Just a nephew, a Roman commander covering his own legal butt, and a bunch of pagan soldiers marching down a dark road protecting a prisoner.
Maybe “miracle” isn’t technically the right word. Nothing here violates the laws of nature. What we’re seeing is the hidden providence of God—God accomplishing His purposes through completely ordinary things. That’s what I mean by “ordinary miracles.”
But God is running the whole show. Remember back in Acts 23:11, Jesus showed up in Paul's jail cell and gave him a promise: “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” This is part of how He’s making sure that happens.
How long do you think those forty kept their oath? I doubt if any of them starved to death or died of thirst. More like they heard about the army protecting Paul and were like, “Hey just kidding about that death squad oath, who wants a sandwich?”
It’s hard to trust God when we can’t see Him working.
We want God to prove Himself to us on our terms. "God, if You really care about me, give me a sign, do a miracle right now." And if He doesn’t, we panic, we pout, we get bitter, we accuse Him of abandoning us. “Where is God?”
We don’t just want evidence that God is working. We want control over how He works. We want Him to prove His goodness on our schedule and according to our expectations. And when He refuses to explain Himself, we put Him on trial and act like we’re His judge.
It’s a great idea. A speck in the universe calling out Almighty God because we don’t understand what He’s doing. We’re like a dust mite criticizing an opera. If a dust mite could speak it’d be like, “I find the whole thing very confusing!”
As people of faith, it’s foolish to let our trust in God be shaken by what happens to us, instead of remembering He promises to rule behind the scenes. We’re supposed to walk by faith not by sight. God is good and He’s in control, no matter how things look. Keep your trust in Him instead of your ability to understand what’s happening. Trust in the Lord and don’t lean on your own understanding. We need to remember our place in the universe, we are but dust mites. At least in comparison to God. We don’t really know what’s going on, at least not outside of our faith in Jesus.
Which means, when trouble comes—and it’s always on the way—we’ll be tempted to look to our worldly protections: our bank accounts, our job security, our social standing, the government—we’re tempted to act like those are our real saviors. They’re not. God is above and in control of all those things. We need to trust Him—put all those things under Him.
I like to think Paul said his prayers and was sound asleep when they had to wake him up to tell him he had his own personal army to escort him.
He had 470 Roman soldiers, and that was awesome, the little death squad didn’t seem so scary now. But Paul’s hope wasn’t ultimately in armed guards to save him. Those soldiers couldn’t forgive his sins, conquer death, or make him good with God. All the ordinary things of this world that God uses to help us and bless us, they’re gifts from God, but they make terrible gods.
This should be very encouraging. God doesn't leave your life to chance, and it doesn't depend on whether you pray so hard you call down heaven and get a visible miracle or not. God is working all things together for your good whether you see it or not. But don’t limit “good” to just mean comfort, healing, or success. God is working for the eternal good of those who love Him and are called according to His ultimate purpose of salvation and glory—even when what happens in this life sucks. We don’t see the bigger picture.
Paul’s in jail, he had nothing to do with his nephew overhearing about the death squad. Before he knew the danger was there, Jesus was already working out the details of the rescue.
And He didn't need to split the ground open to make it happen. He worked through the ordinary things of human life—a nephew in a hallway, a bureaucrat’s administrative letter, horses, and soldiers—to take care of His servant and keep the Gospel moving forward.
God has given you promises that are so much greater than any sign or wonder in this life. The promise of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ came into this sad world to bleed for you, forgive every single one of your sins, and make you right with God forever. He doesn't promise much more than that in this life, certainly not that you won't suffer or face trials—we’re all still going to die. This is what your faith is for! Because nothing can separate you from His love. That through His death and resurrection, death has lost its terrifying power over you! Because He rose from the dead, He promises you will, too. Your body will rise from the grave, and you will be eternally alive and safe in Him.
The cross is the greatest proof that God is working even when He seems absent. In the darkest hour, when it looked like evil had won, Jesus slumped on the nails and bled out—that was the actual moment God was reconciling the world to Himself.
As you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, keep your eyes on the cross, and your hope in the resurrection.
That’s what following Jesus means. It means, even though there will be trouble and pain—you will have the most abundant, meaningful life possible right now by faith. Even though we might experience depression, dementia, chronic pain, or overwhelming grief—our life is hidden in Christ and promised to be made right in the resurrection to come. This is our hope.
So, you don't have to spend your life frantically chasing after signs, wonders, and secret knowledge. I’m not saying we won’t see miracles. But we need to recognize that they’re all around us.
We need to see God’s care in the ordinary things. He preserves and cares for us through the doctor who diagnoses an illness, the mechanic who fixes our brakes, the teacher who invests in us or our child, through the civil law and law enforcement that keeps peace in our neighborhoods (just like He worked through a pagan Roman commander), or the friend who checks in on us at just the right moment.
We need to live in the wonder and trust that God is constantly at work in our life through all kinds of ordinary, everyday things. He works through our family, our neighbors—and remember that He works through you… in all of your daily vocations.
Maybe the biggest miracle people need to see in the world is Christians loving and serving other people. God did everything to save you, there’s nothing more you can do to add to it. You are saved by grace through faith, plus nothing. The only thing God demands from you in response to His grace—in response, not as repayment—He demands that you love and serve other people. This is the commandment; that you love one another. Love your brothers and sisters. Love the outsiders. Love your enemies. Love everyone. Why? Because it’s what they need. So, they’ll feel the love of God through you. So, they’ll see the hope you have in Jesus and ask you about it. So you can tell them what Jesus did for you and they can also believe. Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ. Let this be the miracle you pray for.
Focus on the holy work God has placed in front of you: love your spouse, provide for your family, serve your neighbor, and do your job with integrity. Take wise, ordinary steps with the information you have, and trust God to handle all the hidden details you can't see or control.
I believe I’ve seen a few miracles in my life. I could tell you about them, you might or might not believe me. That’s how it is with miracles. They still require faith.
God knows what He’s doing. We don’t need spectacular miracles to trust Him. We have something better: His promises. Ordinary miracles are more than enough.
Paul sat in a locked fortress, completely unaware that forty men were making elaborate plans for his death. He didn't see it coming, but God did. I love the ordinary way the Lord miraculously worked everything out.
Trust that the God who has begun His work in you will see you through until the day when Jesus returns to finish all that He has begun. AMEN.
Prayer
Father in heaven, thank You for Your constant care, even when we cannot see You working. Thank You for the ordinary people and everyday means You use to provide for us, protect us, and accomplish Your purposes. Above all, thank You for Jesus—for His cross, His resurrection, the forgiveness of our sins, and the promise of eternal life. Help us receive Your gifts with gratitude and share Your love with others. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.