Acts 12 Rescued! (Prayer is the key)
Acts 12:17 Motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he explained to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison.
King Herod had attacked some who belonged to the church and had James, John’s brother put to death (Acts 12:1). This made some of the Jews happy, so Herod had Peter arrested and put in prison.
The church did not want to lose Peter. Herod was going to execute him the next day. The church prayed earnestly — and one of the places they prayed was a house prayer meeting at the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark.
Peter thought he was dreaming while he was being rescued. It wasn’t until he was on a city street, that he realized he was saved. He then went to Mary’s house. When Peter knocked on the door, Rhoda was so excited she forgot to let him in! The church did not believe that Peter could be at the door — and yet he was.
The power of prayer — how many times have you experienced it? One of my most memorable times was when my husband was very ill during our first year of marriage. He worked in a hospital at the time, and because we were married so late in life, I had been introduced to most of his co-workers. Our church, churches we had been associated with and many of his co-workers were praying for him. the doctor was very happy he recovered, because recovery was not a sure thing. I can attest to the fact that prayer works!
Thought for the day: Who do I need to be praying for? Am I in a community that prays?
Prayer: Lord, I pray for those readers who need to be rescued in any way: from imprisonment, from sickness, for loneliness. Lord, please open the prison doors and help them, like Peter, find a praying community to belong to. Amen.
CC: K Carswell 2022
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by Permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
"Crucified, Hidden, Seated" 