Small Signs
35 When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. 36 The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Away with him!”
Paul Speaks to the Crowd
37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”
“Do you speak Greek?” he replied. 38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the desert some time ago?”
39 Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”
40 Having received the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic :
Acts 21:35-40

When God acts, it is sometimes in spectacular displays, like the parting of the Red Sea in the Book of Exodus. But more often it is the small things that are somehow different that show God is at work. When we look at Acts 21:35-40, we see a number of things that would not make sense, except for God.

The passage begins with a mob wanting to kill a man. The soldiers come to take him away. So far, things are normal for this violent time.

But then things change. Just as they are about to reach the safety of the barracks, the prisoner, being carried by the soldiers because the mob is so violent, asks to speak to the commander. And the commander answers back. Is this the best time to speak? Couldn’t they wait a few more minutes until the gates of the barracks were safely locked against the crowd? Wouldn’t the commander be more concerned with leading his soldiers through the mob than with getting into a discussion?

But then something more surprising happens. The man asks to speak to the mob. And the commander agrees. Does this make sense? The mob has been trying to kill this man and they are so violent that the man has to be carried. If the man has to speak to the crowd, let him do it from a wall high above the crowd, not from steps that can easily be reached.

Finally, there is the strangest thing. man motions to the crowd to be silent. And the mob falls silent. A mob that had wanted to kill him is suddenly willing to listen? What closed their mouths and opened their ears?

How often do we look for big things to see God working in our lives. But often it is not like that. Instead, it is in the small things, surprising opportunities or the unexpected agreements, that we can see God at work.
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Prayer:
• Do you see God in the small things around you?
Pray that God will open your eyes to see Him working in this world.