Acts 12:7-10; 23-24

"Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him....When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him." (12:7-10)

"Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of the God continued to increase and spread." (12:23-24)

I am really struck by the level of God's visible (and physical) involvement in the Book of Acts at this time. How cool that must have been to rub noses with the angel of the Lord (or...maybe "cool" isn't so much the word, as scary, given what they could do: give freedom and/or cause to die.) Not that God isn't involved in our lives right now; He is very much so. I guess often times it's much easier to read about than to sit and think (and observe) God's movement in humanity now. Yet once a moment (or two..or many) is taken to reflect, it's amazing to realize that the God we know is the same God who initiated stepping into human history; the same God that interacted with Peter, James, and Cornelius; and the same God whom we put our trust in today (how awe-full and comforting all at once!)...