Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ’ Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.

Sometimes in life we have moments where many experiences in life, previously beyond our comprehension or understanding, line up together in what is called “an epiphany” or a massive “Aha moment”. They line up where we now understand “the why” and the connection for all of these previously unconnected experiences.

This connecting of the dots happened for me later in life. I was born with a small hand. This made life difficult in some ways; it was a source of some intense teasing in second grade. I experienced a miraculous event in kindergarten, surrounding my broken left arm. This built my faith.

Then my mom, who was serving the Lord as a missionary reaching out to the broken and lost, was diagnosed with cancer. She initially went into remission, but it came back. We prayed and prayed for her to be healed. It didn’t happen. She passed away when I was 14.

I have often wondered why I was born with a small hand, why God chose to show me his miraculous power in my left hand (but not heal my right hand), and why he never chose to heal my mother, who was a faithful servant of his? These things seemed strange to me, and they didn’t seem connected.

But now, in the last ten years or so, I have seen how God allowed me to go through these challenges so that I would be prepared to serve him in ways I would not have been ready to serve otherwise. Having a small hand and dealing with teasing as a second grader prepared me to be kind to those with disabilities in high school. Seeing the miracle with my broken arm built up my faith to endure and trust God through the challenges around my mom dying in junior high. And watching my mom serve faithfully while in pain and through cancer showed me that God can give me strength, even when I feel inadequate, to do the work he sets before me.

The Jews knew the Messiah would come. They read the prophecy, but many were largely focused on the wrong activities in their own lives, so when Jesus came, they did not recognize him and instead they crucified him.

The Jews knew the Messiah would rule, but they were looking for an earthly king to rescue them and build a rich and powerful earthly nation.

The Jews saw the miracles and signs and wonders, but maybe they did not fit inside the box of rules they established for God, or maybe they just couldn’t see the truth in front of their eyes.

So Peter here connects the dots for them. Jesus was The Messiah, and he rose from the dead! He was a Coming King, but his Kingdom is beyond this earth. And the nature of his obedience and love was so great, his work went deeper than technical rule-keeping. He loved beyond the rules — to the heart.

So how has God connected the dots for you in your life? Or how do you wish he would? He promises us that he is working ALL THINGS for our good (Romans 8:28).

Lord, thank you for connecting the dots in my challenges, in order to show me your plan to bless me and use those challenges to love on others. I will look for and hope in your revelations of the usefulness of my past challenges, which will prepare me to work for your future glory!