Acts 12 - 9.17.24
SCRIPTURE: Acts 12:11-16 " Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod's grasp and from all that the Jewish people expected." When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many had assembled and were praying. He knocked at the door in the gateway, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer. She recognized Peter's voice, and because of her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gateway. "You're crazy!" they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true. Then they said, "It's his angel!". Peter, however, kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded."
OBSERVATION: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this story!
Even though Peter had been bound with, not one, but two chains, and was being guarded by two soldiers who were next to him while he was sleeping, and sentries were guarding the prison door, God miraculously freed Peter from his chains, and set him free! God had sent an angel to free Peter from his chains, and led him past the first and second guard posts, and then past the iron gate that led him back to the city.
The prison guards never heard the angel talking to Peter. They never heard the chains falling off of him, and no one saw him escape the prison door!
Some might ask, why did God even allow Peter to have to go to prison in the first place? Why didn't He protect him from the whole ordeal? As we read on in the story, we are clearly able to see that because God is sovereign, and that He knows all things, He allowed Peter to prison to to prison because He knew the end of the story! God already knew that Mary, and the others who were assembled at her house would be praying for Peter's release. He graciously chose to hear and answer their prayers, and He did it in a supernatural way that left NO DOUBT that this was indeed a mighty act of God! How interesting that even while the believers were praying for Peter's, release, when they saw how God had answered their prayer, they were astonished!
APPLICATION: Sometimes when we pray, we are more focused on our limitlessness, more than on God's unlimited power! When things appear to be impossible to us, we tend to "limit" God's miraculous ability - by not praying.
This story is SO encouraging because we serve a God Who is all powerful, and He not only has the ability to do the impossible, He is willing to do it for us, even when we need a miracle!
PRAYER: I pray I will put my faith in God's unfailing, unlimited power and ability to do the impossible! I thank Him that He is always present, and is always willing and available to hear and answer our prayers. No matter if we need healing, encouragement, strength, direction, protection, or provision, our sovereign and gracious God loves to answer when we pray in faith according to His will.
- Robin Orefice
