ESOCS Devotional 16 August 2026 – God of Miracles: Giver of Comforts
MEMORY VERSE: Acts 20:12 “The people took the young man home alive, and were greatly comforted.”
TEXT: Acts 20:1-17
After the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and departed to go to Macedonia. 2 Now when he had gone over that region and encouraged them with many words, he came to Greece 3 and stayed three months. And when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia—also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. 5 These men, going ahead, waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
7 Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. 9 And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, “Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.” 11 Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed. 12 And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted.
13 Then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board; for so he had given orders, intending himself to go on foot. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. 15 We sailed from there, and the next day came opposite Chios. The following day we arrived at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium. The next day we came to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost.
17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.
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A miracle is an astonishing and wonderful event, either an extremely luck, unusual or beneficial event not necessarily contrary to natural laws or more specifically a supernatural event attributed to divine intervention that goes beyond ordinary laws of nature.
Comfort refers to a state of ease both physical and mental or an action of providing such a state to someone else by offering strength, solace or relief. In Mark 16:15-18 Jesus promises performance of miracles to those who preach the goodnews and receipt of miracles’ in diverse forms to those who believe the gospel message. Both the preacher and the believer receive miracles.
In our text today, Paul while in Troas preached till midnight in a room on the third floor when Eutechus who was in a deep sleep fell and died on the spot. Paul held him and pronounced him alive and it was so. (Acts 20:8-12).
It is no doubt a pleasant experience to conquer such evil situation in the instance. That is, what happens when you preach the gospel with the mandate of the Spirit. (Mark 16:18, 19). God performs miracles through his servants to make hearers of the message believe and understand that God is real and that the gospel message is the source of all blessings and that there is nothing impossible with God. (Acts 20:12)
We should therefore package our Christian lives in such a way that we can grow to perform and receive miracles. That is one of the things that distinguished and marked out of founding father and his successors in the community of Churches in Nigeria. The miracles that Jesus Christ and the early apostles performed are one of the sources of strength and fame to the Christian faith. God is able to continue to show his wonder working power each time we gather to worship. We have got to know and believe this.
Question
Have you done or experienced God’s miracle before?
Prayer
Oh God of miracles! Come and do a miracle in my life and through me today, in Jesus name. Amen.
Further Reading:
Ezekiel 37: 15-end, Deut. 10 11-end, Heb. 7:1-10
ESOCS Devotional 16 August 2026
