But Will You Pray?
Today I am looking at the famous story of Peter’s arrest by King Herod in Acts 12:3-5.
“When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” Acts 12:3-5 NIV
I begin by reminding us that Peter was not arrested for anything wrong or illegal, but because someone else had a specific agenda. Think about it for a second: Imagine being Peter, who one second ago was being a light to the world by preaching and sharing the Gospel, to all of a sudden having been stripped of all freedom and on the verge of death, as was the plan of the wicked King Herod in those days, all in the twinkling of an eye.
While this may seem a very drastic change of course in such a short time, this story certainly brings to mind the thought that I know every believer has had at least once before: “Isn’t it all too real that sometimes we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place due to no fault of our own?” What are we to do when those sudden instances happen when all you can think is “how did I get here?” Thank God the answer is in the same text where the problem occurred!
The fact that the Word of God says that “Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him,” ensures to the believer, that regardless of what the situation looks like, prayer to God, in the name of Jesus, has power to change the situation! I am sure that after praying for a few hours, they paused to find out whether he had been released or not, only to get the news that he was still locked up. After praying a few more hours, now potentially in the afternoon, Peter was still locked up and nothing had changed. They could have chosen to think that this is not working or that it was all a waste of time; however, they persevered in prayer because they believed the word of God in James 5:16 which states “the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” Eventually, that same evening, Peter, the one who was locked up that the disciples were praying for, suddenly showed up at their doorstep!
This story is an encouragement to all of us that faith in God, mixed with fervent prayer, always yields powerful results! The only reason the early church did not give up is because they kept their faith in God’s Word and ability to intervene on their behalf in order to continue praying to Him until they saw that change. Saints, no matter what you are going through, no matter what blessing you’re awaiting, continue to do your part in praying to God and believing He will eventually act on our behalf. Before you know it, that blessing, answer, need, etc. will suddenly appear right at your doorstep!
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