“Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.”
Psalm 34:3

We drove over this bridge recently and I hurried to take photos to send to a friend. She moved away from most winter things - naturally I have to tease with a [blurry] photo of the snow she doesn’t get to see anymore. Looking the scene again later, I marveled. The current in this river is very strong, but you wouldn’t necessarily know it by looking at the surface. Some areas show the push and pull, but much of it remains placid and untouched.

Reading in Acts 2 this morning, God reminded me of how He works. Peter gave a sermon to a large group of people, many of whom were mocking and skeptical about Peter’s loyalty to Christ. They weren’t sure what to make of recent events (Jesus being crucified). It was a strange time. But here was Peter, having just received the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised, and he was preaching to the crowd. The whole crowd understood what he was saying, each in his own language. How could this be? What power was at work in him?

In his sermon, Peter walked the crowd through Scripture that most, if not all, would’ve been familiar with. He showed them how Jesus was the fulfillment of the law, and the only Way to be saved.

“And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (vs.21).

The Jesus whom they had crucified is the One that God made King and Savior.

“When they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (vs. 37)

Can you imagine the angst once they realized the truth? their own sin against the holy God?

“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’ And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation’” (vs. 38-40).

We learn after these verses that about three thousand souls were saved that day. They saw their depravity and need for a Savior. Wow!

Christianity is the one religion that cannot be stopped. Why? Because it is the only truth. Worship of and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ - that will go on for eternity. God tells us in His Word that one day, all peoples and nations will bow before Him. And one day, sin will be gone for good and we will be left with perfection, worshiping our King.

Just like the river, under the bridge - God is always moving and always working in mighty ways. We may not see it; we may not know what He is up to, and how on Earth He is going to redeem humanity. It looks bleak, and it looks like we are losing the fight. But He is strong, powerful, independent. He does as He wants, and it is good. He is bringing people to Himself even now.

Take heart, friends. We serve the one true God who alone can save, who alone can rescue souls - and He is! Praise Him!