But while Peter was in prison, the Church prayed very earnestly for him.
Acts 12:5
Many of you know the story of Peter, the disciple, when he was held in Herod’s prison. The story of his encounter with the wicked, narcissistic ruler happened shortly after the death of James, the first disciple to be martyred.
The Jewish people were in a frenzy to see another of Jesus’ followers made an example of.
When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter.
Acts 12:3
Peter was in a deep sleep, chained between two guards, with others positioned at the gate. Suddenly, a bright light appeared in the cell. God’s angel struck Peter to wake him up.
Here’s the story.
“Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,”
… Peter left the cell, following the angel… he thought it was a vision…They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself…they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.
Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!”
Acts 12:6-11
When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer.
Acts 12:12
Look once more at the key verse at the opening of the devotion. Peter’s fellow believers were watching, praying and waiting.
They had faith in God’s power to deliver Peter. They knew God heard their obedient prayers.
You see, the power of prayer is real. It is meant to glorify God. When we pray, we show our trust in God. When we are resolute in our prayer life, we are obedient.
When we pray, we need to pray big, don’t we? Just like the early Church. We don’t need to panic or lose hope. But isn’t it funny how often we are surprised when God answers our prayers in a big way? It is as if we really didn’t think He was listening. Doesn’t that remind you of Peter’s reaction? Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!”
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
Hebrews 11:1
Once again, we see that the little band of believers is still on their knees, praying for Peter. They still don’t know what has happened to him. And wait until you see their reaction to answered prayer.
He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!”
“You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.” Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. “Tell James (this is James, the Lord’s brother) and the other brothers (disciples and believers) what happened,” he said. And then he went to another place.
Acts 12:13-17
We know that trials come, despite how we pray. We know, as believers, that sometimes there seem to be hard answers from God.
But God is always good.
My own life has been filled with experiences that have been joyful and inexpressibly hard. But God has never let go of me. He has seen me through every single step. And my prayer life has grown. My trust in Him as my Father and Lord has grown. I love Him.
I am still amazed at the wonder of Who Jesus is and what He did for me.
I hope that is your story, too.
Pray boldly, unselfishly, and with persistent trust in God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Ephesians 6:18
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
Share the Good News in your world!
Isaiah 52:7
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
