Can God Use This Mess?

Chris Holm | OCT 18, 2026

Scripture: Acts 7

Series: Acts

Categories: Suffering and Trials, Hope and Encouragement, Faith and Trust

Sermon summary

Some seasons of life look like a loss. A diagnosis, a broken relationship, a prayer that hasn’t been answered in years. In Acts 7, we meet Stephen, a man chosen to help feed widows who now stands on trial for blasphemy against the temple and the law. Instead of defending himself point by point, he tells the council their own story.

God spoke to Abraham in Mesopotamia, far from any temple, and promised a nation to a man with no children. God was with Joseph in a pit and a prison, and used his brothers’ cruelty to save Israel. God met Moses, a fugitive shepherd, in a burning bush and called a patch of desert holy ground. Again and again, it looked like God had lost. Each time, He was at work.

Stephen’s words cut the council to the heart, and they stoned him. As he died, he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he prayed for the men killing him.

We can’t keep God inside a building, a set of rules, or one corner of our lives. He is with us in the mess, and He is still in control.