Be Still And Know

READ: Acts 1.24-26 NLT Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven. After the Ascension of Jesus, the eleven disciples needed to find a successor to Judas Iscariot. They chose two candidates whom they considered to be suitable, Barsabbas and Matthias. We don’t know anything about them but clearly they had spent time with Jesus and were part of the wider circle of his followers. What might strike you as strange is that, having committed the decision to God in prayer, they then cast lots. This certainly isn’t a method that I have ever employed but it was their way of leaving the decision up to God. They played their part in choosing people who they believed to appropriately qualified, but then they let God decide. We don’t hear of anyone else casting lots in this way in