How do you react when you’re under pressure? Stress takes us down to the unfiltered core of who we are and unmasks what lies beneath. I want to be like Stephen, who was being like Jesus.
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59-60
Do those words of Stephen sound familiar? They should. Stephen is echoing Jesus on the cross. Even in death, Stephen is still trying to be like Jesus.
Listen to Jesus:
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” Luke 23:46
This didn’t just happen accidentally. Stephen was prepared. We are told in the preceding verses in Acts that Stephen was full of the Spirit. Am I living my life on my own power or filled with the Spirit?
How did Stephen know Jesus’ words? Was he there at the crucifixion? Had he followed Jesus and the other disciples or had he studied them in some other way? We don’t know, but they were ingrained enough in him that those were the last words he spoke. Am I so familiar with the words of God that they come out even in duress – or maybe especially in duress -when I am in pain, when I get cut off in traffic, when life is in jeopardy? Who am I unfiltered?
And in a way, Stephen is praying the text. The words weren’t canonized yet but they were the words of Jesus. We’ve discussed before how powerful that can be. How would I react under similar circumstances? I want scripture to spill out, flavoring my language, whether I’m speaking to God or to others. I want to be full of the Spirit. And I want His words on my lips when I leave this life for the next.
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