When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. — Acts 7:54 – 56
In my life, there are times I have said things that some people did not want to hear me say. Being in those situations can be quite uncomfortable to say the least. Sometimes it is to share a message of bad news and other times to share a message of truth. Sometimes the truth hurts.
That is exactly where Stephen found himself, in the middle of an uncomfortable situation. He had said things that the people in that day did not want to hear. Stephen was standing for truth and what was right. No one appreciated that. We can certainly relate to that in our day. Standing for God’s truth and what is right is not popular in our world.
The people around him had no tolerance for what he was saying. They wanted Stephen dead. The crowd knew what Stephen said was true. They were not obeying God’s word. The people were actively resisting God and Stephen’s words shared the absolute truth. They responded by gnashing on him and later stoning Stephen to death.
Sometimes it can be difficult to stand for the truth. There are not many in our day who are willing to stand for truth. As the world crowded around Stephen, attempting to force him out and silence him, we see something special. Stephen saw the glory of God in a way that no one else did.
Similar to Stephen, you and I have a unique opportunity to stand for God and His truth in our day. Many want to silence our voices, forcing us into submission to what the world would want. Rather than giving in, we need to be bold in our stand for God and His truth. If we do, I believe that God will show us His glory in a special way just like Stephen.