WHEN GOD’S PEOPLE PRAY
«Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread» (Acts 12:1-3).
IF, LIKE ME, YOU ARE SOMETIMES DISCOURAGED when you see evil increase in our world; and if you are ever tempted to think that God does not answer your prayers, then it is convenient that you read chapter 12 of the book Acts of the Apostles in the Bible.
Today’s verse introduces us to Herod Agrippa—the grandson of Herod the Great—bent on destroying the nascent Christian church. To please the Jews, this evil king had already killed James, John’s brother, and has now imprisoned Peter, in order to judge him after the Passover. And so he doesn’t escape, he has placed a strong guard made up of four groups of four soldiers each.
Humanly speaking, there is nothing that can be done to free him. Nothing but to pray. And this was precisely what the church did: «Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church» (v. 5). Constant; that is, «earnestly.» According to The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, the Greek word is the same as that used to describe Jesus’s prayer in Gethsemane.
The scene is otherwise significant. As long as earthly powers lash out at God’s children, what does the church do? Pray incessantly. And at the right time, God intervenes. As Peter slept, «an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, ‘Arise quickly!’ And his chains fell off his hands» (v. 7). The apostle, free from his chains, went to the house of John Mark, where they were praying for him. Then, an otherwise curious thing happens. When the young woman who opened the door told the believers that Peter was outside, they told her she was crazy. When they finally saw him, «they were astonished» (vv. 15, 16). How unbelievable! The miracle they prayed for was before their eyes, and they couldn’t believe it!
Is there a lesson here? At least two. The first is that even though this world appears to be out of control, God remains the Sovereign of the universe. The second lesson is: «Nothing is apparently more helpless, yet really more invincible, than the soul that feels its nothingness and relies wholly on God. «—Prophets and Kings, ch. 13, p. 174.
Heavenly Father, please help me believe that no earthly power can prevail against Your church; and to trust that I will always dwell «under the shadow of the Almighty.»
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate