God heard our prayers, even our prayers given in weakness
Acts 12:5
"But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him."
What an amazing story of faithfulness, prayer, and God's power over everything. Acts chapter twelve tells the story of how the apostle Peter was freed from prison by prayer and with angelic assistance. He had been imprisoned by King Herod Agrippa. This evil king had already murdered both James and John with a sword, and certainly Peter's life was now hanging on by a thread, in chains and under guard. And while he was there his church is praying for him.
The year was approximately AD 47. Many believers had scattered in fear to their homelands following Stephen’s death by stoning. And ironically, because of this fear and disbelief, the gospel had begun to reach even the gentile people as a result. Now the real persecution was about to begin against the young church in Judea under threat of King Herod who was trying to please the Jews for whatever reason, and who thought they wanted Peter dead.
Herod had Peter arrested and determined to kill him as soon as the Feast of Unleavened Bread was done. Peter was imprisoned for the service of his Lord, but we can see how faith matures and grows even among the most faithful. This isn't the first time that Peter was visited by an angel while in prison. And he should know that God is with him. It's not like he hasn't been there before and been saved time after time. But here we are again. All of the elements of the road to faith are pictured here.
Peter is scheduled to die in the morning, he's imprisoned, chained under guard, and sentenced to death. And he's asleep.
This is the perfect picture of the unsaved. When it comes to spiritual matters they are ignorant of the grave danger they are in. And so they can rest undisturbed by the truth that has imprisoned them.
Jesus said that unless a man receives spiritual rebirth, that comes from above, he cannot understand spiritual things. The apostle Paul tells us in Romans chapter three that no one understands or seeks for God.
Ephesians 5:14
This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Does this mean that prayerful people are stupid or ignorant? No, not at all. It just means we are sometimes asleep, unaware, of the works of God and his prevenient grace.
The Lord sends his messenger to Peter in prison, and this angel finds Peter there asleep. Sleeping well in fact since the angel had to poke him to wake him up. I don't know, maybe Peter is a heavy sleeper. He and others did seem to have an issue with that, with staying awake at times of prayer.
The Angel says to Peter,
"Get up quickly!”
This again is like the prevenient grace of God sent to go before the unsaved. This prevenient grace from God awakens the unbelievers. Sometimes suddenly and other times subtly.
Here comes your moment!
This is your Kairos (God moment).
Hurry and get up!
This is no time to delay God's grace.
This is the nature of God's grace. It cannot be manufactured. We cannot “seize the day”. Here it comes. There it goes. It's the work of The Holy Spirit. This isn't dogmatic religion. This isn't some cult-like intercession on the part of some saintly idols. This is our God Himself who sends his Spirit and his messengers to bring about grace for the unsaved and the saved. He doesn't need any intervention on the part of those who have already died in Christ.
Peter is being granted prevenient grace because his God sent His Spirit to make a way out from his imprisonment. And that grace is given as an answer to corporate prayers offered to none other than God himself by those who love God and love Peter.
The angel said to Peter, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals”.
In another word, put on your big boy pants and tie your shoes, it's time to go, this is no time for sleeping. It's time to run so, cinch up your underwear and let's move! No more dreaming. No time for sleeping in your chains anymore. He's being called to no longer sit chained to his old life; his old ways; just relaxing in his cell dreaming of some great tomorrow and waiting helplessly for whatever might happen next.
Get up!
Your God has come and he's setting you free from those chains.
What are going to do?
Just sleep this moment away?!
GET UP!
Then the angel said “Wrap your cloak around you...follow me"
“And he went out and continued to follow...”
And there it is.
Discipleship.
Active faith.
Finally!
He's awake. His God has loosened his chains, opened the cell doors, blinded the eyes of his captors, and is leading him OUT!
He's leading him out with his messenger making the way. He is protecting him in this trial. He's under threat but he's protected. He's been exhorted to gird his lions, strap on his sandals and to get up and go. Everything that has happened has happened because God has made it happen. It's testing his faith and creating the assurance of salvation in Him. Peter has been girded and cloaked in His righteousness and is being prepared to follow Him. This entire imprisonment thing is about creating a disciple.
But don't imagine Peter is getting it yet.
He's not. He's still confused. Still uncertain. Still uncommitted.
Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. And after they worked their way through gates and alleyways, passing by guards and officers they finally come to an open street and the angel leaves him.
And then this amazing statement...
(Verse 11) Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."
NOW he gets it!
Finally, it dawns on him that God has gone before him making a way for him to be saved. God predetermined to save him. Peter wasn't even expecting it.
Why did God do this?
Because prayer.
Certainly, because Peter loves God, but also because of the corporate prayers of his church. These folks weren't just remembering Peter at their bedtime prayers, they were praying fervently for him. They love God and love Peter, and so they prayed fervently throughout the night.
That word fervently, that adverb (ektenos) in the Greek, is meant to express something like stretching a muscle to its limits. It's an undying love being expressed with great effort and enthusiasm. It's the same word used in Luke 22:44 about the way in which Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.
"And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly (ektenos), and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."
These Christians weren't playing around. This wasn't "my thoughts and prayers are with you." This is fervent prayer. Regenerate prayer. Active prayers of the faithful that can do all things because it's empowered by Jesus Christ.
This story is like something out of Touched by an Angel. I half expect Michael Landon to be walking off into the mist as he leaves Peter in the street. But we need to realize, this isn't a magic trick. Peter didn't convince or bribe his guards to let him go. This was the work of God himself. His jailers would not be willing to allow him to escape for any reason. In fact, the scriptures tell us that Herod had them killed for failing to keep Peter captive.
Peter made his way to the house of John Mark's mother, Mary. He meets Rhoda the servant girl there at the door. She's so excited to hear his voice that she leaves him standing in the doorway without even opening it and runs to tell the others who were still praying.
These fervent prayer warriors are now FREAKING OUT!
"You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel."
Meanwhile Peter is knocking and knocking and knocking.
Come on people!
Open the door would ya!
It's interesting because it's not unlike the Angel trying to wake Peter just a little while ago.
They had been up all night long praying for Peter.
Do you think they really expected Peter to be knocking on the door?
No of course not. No matter how faithfully and fervently they were praying they were still astonished by him standing there in the doorway.
At the end of the day when it comes to prayer, the best we can do is pray fervently and pray for God's will to be done. This is what Jesus did in the garden. This is what we should do. Just pray fervently for God's will to be done. And trust him to do just exactly that.
In Alexander Solzhenitsyn's, "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," Ivan endures all the horrors of a Soviet prison camp.
One day he is praying with his eyes closed when a fellow prisoner notices him and says with ridicule, "Prayers won't help you get out of here any faster."
Opening his eyes, Ivan answers him, "I do not pray to get out of prison but to do the will of God."
Folks, when the bottom drops out we must cast our cares upon God. Give them up in prayer. Stop worrying, give it to Him, and know that if it concerns you it concerns God.
1 Peter 5:7
"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."
How are you going to respond in your prayers?
Are you going to be one of those who says, "are you out of your mind!"
Or are you going to say, "Your will be done."
Friends,
My prayer for you and your loved ones is that God does surprise you at the door and astonish you with his grace. I pray he answers all your prayers and answers all your questions. And I pray you surrender your faith into his hands.
God bless you and keep you always.
Amen
#FaithfulPrayers #JesusIsKing #LoveGod #LoveOneAnother