Someone has said, "God is not necessarily fair, but He is always just."

There is an internal craving in all of us for justice; that is, for things to turn out right. We want the good person to win, we cheer for the underdog, and we love "happily ever after."

So many things happen that we don't understand. The categories of fairness and justice don't seem to apply. This is when we must rest in the sovereignty of God.

In Acts 12, we see justice and sovereignty intermixed in a strange set of circumstances. The setting is Jerusalem, in the early church.

Herod was king. He ruled under the auspices of Rome. There was continual conflict between the established Jewish religion and the followers of Christ.

Herod arrested some Christians in a political move to appease the Jews. He had James, the brother of John, killed (v. 2). This was an arbitrary act. We see neither justice nor fairness served. Herod continued by arresting Peter and planned to kill him also.

God intervened with Peter and had an angel deliver him from the soldiers who were holding him (vv. 6-11). One might ask, "Why would God deliver Peter but allow James to be killed?"

The answer might be because of the concerted prayer of the church for Peter (v. 5), but we also see that the prayer of the church was not accompanied by much faith (vv. 14-16). The people who were praying could not believe God had answered their prayers.

Sound familiar? The answer to why James was killed and Peter was delivered rests in the sovereignty of God.

Now back to Herod. After Peter was delivered, Herod was very upset with the prison guards. They had no explanation for how Peter escaped, and obviously, Herod had no room for God in his mind, so he unfairly had the guards put to death, even though they had no fault in the matter (vv. 18-19).

Herod went down to Caesarea and made some clever political moves, and on a particular day, he made a great speech that the people applauded him for (v. 22). At this point, God moved in, and an angel of the Lord killed Herod because he did not acknowledge God in his success (v. 23).

We all applaud the justice of God in the death of Herod, but we wonder why God didn't kill him earlier.

Acts 12 is a slice out of most of our lives. There is seeming unfairness, injustice, and the sovereignty of God all mixed in. The statement in Acts 12 24 puts it all in perspective: "But the word of God continued to increase and spread."

God's purposes will prevail. Life does not have to make sense to us, but we must live with an abiding confidence that God is in control and is making all things work for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).