KEY VERSE:
“It was about this time that King
Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He
had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 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.
The night before Herod was to bring
him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains,
and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord
appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke
him up. ‘Quick, get up!’ he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
Then the angel said to him, ‘Put on
your clothes and sandals.’ And Peter did so. ‘Wrap your cloak around you and
follow me,’ the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he
had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he
was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the
iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went
through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel
left him.
Then Peter came to himself and said,
‘Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me
from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would
happen.’
When this had dawned on him, he went
to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people
had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a
servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice,
she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, ‘Peter is
at the door!’
‘You’re out of your mind,’ they told
her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, ‘It must be his angel.’
But Peter kept on knocking, and when
they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his
hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of
prison. ‘Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,’ he said,
and then he left for another place.
In the morning, there was no small commotion among
the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. After Herod had a thorough search
made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered
that they be executed. Acts 12: 1-19
ESSAY:
Here are the key points as I see them regarding Peter's
miraculous escape from a jail cell in Acts 12. These points all relate to God's
willingness to perform miracles. I know for a fact God performs miracles
because my son Parker is one. You don’t survive all his health and behavioral
challenges (autism, cerebral palsy, up to 50% brain malformation, brain cyst
and developmental delay) and grow up to be the inspirational personality that
he is without the miraculous touch of God.
Believe it or not, we have a role to play in God’s
miracles.
Key number one is our responsibility to pray. Prayers prompted God's miraculous response. Peter was released from prison because of praying people. Verse 5 says ..."but the church was earnestly praying to God for him." It is important to note that the prayers were directed to God, not to some other entity or being. They were praying to the God Peter believed in and preached about. Verse 12 notes ..."where many people had gathered and were praying." In both verses, there is a significant number of people praying corporately. "The church" and "many people" moved God to act.
For key number two we note how God used an angel to enact this miracle. "Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell" (verse 7). After the prison escape, when it dawned on him that this being was an angel, Peter immediately gave credit to God for this miracle. In verse 11 it says, "Then Peter came to himself and said, Now I know without a doubt the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating." Later in verse 17 it describes how Peter told the church about the Lord's miracle. Peter's recognition here is significant. God has the right and authority to use angels when He pleases. It is important for us to do as Peter did and acknowledge Him, thanking God for the miracle and not the angel.
The third key from this miraculous chapter is found in verse 6. "The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance." The significant part of this verse is the section, "the night before." God allowed Peter to be imprisoned for a while. He waited until the day before the trial was to start to rescue him. This was a trial in which Peter would most certainly have been found guilty and murdered by Herod. Surely the church would have preferred Peter be rescued right away. Peter, too, was probably eager to get out of that dirty cell and away from death's door. But we must remember that God's timing is not always our timing. He will enact His miracles according to His own time schedule. And His timing always bears fruit. As it says in Acts 12:24, "But the word of God continued to increase and spread." He used Peter's imprisonment and miraculous rescue to point people to Himself and the Word. And as a result, many accepted the Gospel.
Key number one is our responsibility to pray. Prayers prompted God's miraculous response. Peter was released from prison because of praying people. Verse 5 says ..."but the church was earnestly praying to God for him." It is important to note that the prayers were directed to God, not to some other entity or being. They were praying to the God Peter believed in and preached about. Verse 12 notes ..."where many people had gathered and were praying." In both verses, there is a significant number of people praying corporately. "The church" and "many people" moved God to act.
For key number two we note how God used an angel to enact this miracle. "Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell" (verse 7). After the prison escape, when it dawned on him that this being was an angel, Peter immediately gave credit to God for this miracle. In verse 11 it says, "Then Peter came to himself and said, Now I know without a doubt the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating." Later in verse 17 it describes how Peter told the church about the Lord's miracle. Peter's recognition here is significant. God has the right and authority to use angels when He pleases. It is important for us to do as Peter did and acknowledge Him, thanking God for the miracle and not the angel.
The third key from this miraculous chapter is found in verse 6. "The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance." The significant part of this verse is the section, "the night before." God allowed Peter to be imprisoned for a while. He waited until the day before the trial was to start to rescue him. This was a trial in which Peter would most certainly have been found guilty and murdered by Herod. Surely the church would have preferred Peter be rescued right away. Peter, too, was probably eager to get out of that dirty cell and away from death's door. But we must remember that God's timing is not always our timing. He will enact His miracles according to His own time schedule. And His timing always bears fruit. As it says in Acts 12:24, "But the word of God continued to increase and spread." He used Peter's imprisonment and miraculous rescue to point people to Himself and the Word. And as a result, many accepted the Gospel.
APPLICATION:
What miracles have you witnessed? Were you doing your
part? Were you actively praying for the miracle? Did you remember to thank God
for the miracle? We all know someone in our life who needs a miracle, it might
even be you who needs divine intervention. Think of someone you know who could
use the miraculous touch of God in their lives. Maybe it is someone who is
facing a dire health crisis like my son Parker. Perhaps someone you know is
facing insurmountable financial burdens. Or it might be someone who has yet to
experience the miracle of coming to faith in Christ. Start praying for that
miracle today. Pray faithfully for it as the church did for Peter’s release
from prison. You never know, your prayers just might be the catalyst that sets
the miraculous in motion.
This essay is from my book More Autism and Awesometism: Devotionals From and About a Special Needs Family.
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