一天晚上，我的鄰居勝文沒有把車開回家。他告訴妻子：「車子被偷了。」他頓了一下，接著說：「我先去睡覺，明天再來處理。」他的妻子聽了大吃一驚，無法理解勝文怎麼能夠這麼冷靜。勝文說：「我還能怎麼辦？驚慌著急也沒用啊！」

勝文一向非常理智，知道擔心也解決不了問題。他相信有關當局遲早會找到他的車子，結果還真的找到了！

這讓我聯想到，使徒彼得被關進監獄後（使徒行傳12章4節），是否也一樣冷靜呢？那時，他很可能被處死，但向來衝動的使徒彼得竟然安穩地「睡在兩個兵丁當中」（6節），甚至天使得要「拍彼得的肋旁」才能叫醒他（7節）。由此可見，彼得是多麼平靜安穩。這是因為他知道上帝掌管他的生命嗎？第9節和11節指出，對彼得而言，自己是否獲救並不重要。也許，他回想起耶穌所賜救恩和榮耀的確據（馬太福音19章28節），以及耶穌對他說過：「你只管跟從我吧！」（約翰福音21章22節，新譯本）所以彼得無需憂慮未來會遭遇何事。

無論我們今天會面臨什麼景況，我們都可以確信，上帝大能的手掌管我們的未來（無論是在世上還是在天上）。也許，當我們有這樣的信心，就更容易安心入睡了。

My neighbor Sam returned home one night without his car. “It was stolen,” he told his wife, then added, “I’m going to sleep. I’ll sort it out tomorrow.” His wife was flabbergasted. She couldn’t understand how Sam could be so calm, but he explained, “What else can I do? Panicking won’t make any difference.”

My ever-sensible neighbor could see there was no point worrying. He trusted that the authorities would be able to find his missing car later—which they did.

Did the apostle Peter feel likewise after being thrown into prison (Acts 12:4)? He was likely to face execution, yet the usually impulsive disciple “was sleeping between two soldiers” (v. 6). The angel had to “[strike] Peter on the side” to wake him up (v. 7)—suggesting that he was completely calm and at peace. Was it because he knew his life was in God’s hands? Verses 9 and 11 suggest that it wouldn’t have mattered whether he was rescued or not; perhaps he recalled the assurance of salvation and glory that Jesus had given him (Matthew 19:28), as well as Christ’s call to simply “follow me” and not worry about what would happen to him (John 21:22).

No matter what we’re facing today, we can trust that God holds our future—both on earth and in heaven—in His mighty hands. Perhaps then we can sleep in peace more easily.