Other than getting a shot at the doctor's office, having my finger pricked when I was a child was the next most frightening event. I still remember going back to the lab counter and climbing up on the stool for the inevitable pin prick. I also remember crying, but as I got older, I got tougher and it didn't seem to hurt quite as much, but there was still some momentary pain.
In the second chapter of the book of Acts, we read about hearts getting pricked; not the muscle, but the mind: Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do (Acts 2:37 KJV)? These people had just heard Peter proclaim that the man they crucified about fifty days earlier was now sitting at the right hand of God. Much more than the physical pain of a finger prick, these folks felt the sting of their guilt after hearing these words by a man through whom the Holy Spirit spoke.
But the apostle Peter gave them good news in response to their question: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38). The text goes on to say that there were about 3,000 souls that day which obeyed the words of Peter and received the forgiveness of their sins. What about all the rest that heard? We don't know how many people were in Jerusalem at that time, but some scholars estimate that the city's population grew to somewhere between 55,000 and 200,000 during feast time. That means a lot of them did not obey. Were their hearts not pricked? Had they grown callous toward the truth? Certainly that is a possibility, and it remains a danger today.
When we hear or read the words of Scripture and are reproved for any unrighteousness in our lives, we have a choice to make. Either we can repent because we realize we have grieved the heart of our heavenly Father, or we can harden our hearts and continue in our own way. If we choose the latter, the consequences are dreadful. Jesus said, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish (Luke 13:3b).
When my finger was pricked, I sought the loving arms of my mother, and soon things were all better. When we feel the sting of guilt, may we likewise run to and not from the Lord. Only Jesus can take away the burden of a guilty conscience if we respond in obedience to God's will. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14 NKJV)? We may still have to live with the earthly consequences of our sin, but not the eternal. That is good news! Brotherly, Jamie
