Acts 12:1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
*James has been killed, Jesus is no longer here in the flesh...the church could have scattered & hid, fearing for their own lives. Instead, they banded together & prayed! The word, ‘but’ is significant here; sure, he was in prison but that didn’t matter because prayer was made & that made his situation different.
6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
*Peter is well guarded, bound with chains. The soldiers have no need to fear his escape & Peter is asleep! Whether from exhaustion or peace, the scriptures don’t say, but we do know that Peter has come to trust Jesus. He’s not the same man that denied knowing Jesus. He’s not praying, not agonizing over his capture...he’s resigned to his fate, whatever it might be, because he’s in the hands of a faithful, loving God.
7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.
*He didn’t believe he was being rescued - he thought it was a vision.
10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.
11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.
*After Peter has been completely been taken out of harm’s way, he realizes that God has sent an angel to save him!
12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.
13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
14 And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.
15 And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.
16 But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.
*They’ve been praying without stopping, for a miracle, but when the miracle shows up - they are astonished - they don’t believe! Even when we believe & God answer our prayers - it amazes us. Not that he can do it, but that he will do it for us. We so often come to him, knowing that we are not worthy & when he moves for us, we feel such love, it’s hard to comprehend.
17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.
*So, who had faith for this miracle? Peter’s trust was in God, but he wasn’t praying for his release. The church? Evidently, not all of the church believed God would answer their prayers. But prayer was made, & God acted on someone’s prayer!
Sometimes, we don’t bother praying for the answer because we don’t feel like we have enough faith needed to reach God. James 5:16 says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Prayer is a tool that we have to communicate to God our needs & desires & he wishes to give us the desires of our heart.
Ps 84:11...the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Phil 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
*God doesn’t just move by faith, he also moves by compassion. Remember the widow woman’s son that was raised from the dead? She didn’t ask Jesus for anything...he saw her sadness & raised her son from the dead. (Lu. 7:12-14) *Feeding the 5000? (Mt. 14:14-21)
*We can rely on the love of Jesus & can hold firm to the hope of salvation that is placed before us...it is the anchor that secures our soul. >
Heb 6:18 ...lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul...
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
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