During the preparation for a weekly Bible study group, I discovered something I hadn’t known before. (It’s always the delightful perk of my work!) We are studying the Acts of the Apostles, and the passage for discussion is Acts 12. Peter has been imprisoned by Herod and is to be executed the next morning. Meanwhile, as stated in Acts 12:5, the church “was earnestly praying to God for him.” The 2020 translation notes: “but a sustained prayer to God arose from the church for him.” Out of curiosity, I looked at English translations. The NIV states: “but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” Some refer to “fervently praying,” while others use “without ceasing.” In The Message, it reads: “the church prayed for him most strenuously.”
Why does this interest me? Because the word “fervently” in Greek means reaching a boiling point. “Strenuously” implies stretching your muscles. One method of carrying out the death penalty involved tying your limbs to horses and then tearing you apart. In other words, the intensity is so great that your insides are literally ripped apart.
You may ask again, why does this matter? Because this word appears just once more in the Bible. In 1 Peter 1:22, Peter writes: “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.” Boiling-point love! “Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it” (1 Peter 1:22, MSG). With such intensity that it feels as if you must stretch your muscles to the limit.
Is this how you love? In fact, this is the only way we should love. Boiling-point love. Love to the extreme. This is how God’s love for us is!
PRAYER: Today I must confess that I do not love my neighbour with such intensity, Lord! Forgive me.
ART: Pierneef’s station panel, Louis Trichardt.
MUSIC:
Let’s watch this lyric video of “Joyfully Free” by Philip Marais. Thank you to Louis Conradie for the beautiful video.