Key Scripture: Acts 12:5-7

Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. 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. 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.

Relevance

The power of prayer has been recognised from as far back as the early chapters of the Bible. Here we have the famous imprisonment of Peter during the terror reign of Herod, King of Judea, while under the despotic Roman rule of Claudius Caesar—two emotionally and spiritually distorted satanic instruments.

For millennia, Jews and Christians alike have been subject to brutal persecution for the simple fact that they are God's people. Jesus warned His disciples, "If they hate me, they'll hate you!' That's because they hated God. 

Herod had James, the brother of John, killed and saw that it pleased the Jewish people, particularly the religious hierarchy. He proceeded further to take the life of Peter, first by throwing him in prison under heavy guard.

This ironically happened in the days of unleavened bread, prior to the Passover. It was the Passover Week. In Exodus 12, we learn about the significance of this time for believers, as they put the blood on the doorposts and lintels of their houses so that the angel of death would see the blood of salvation and 'Pass over'.

It was a holy convocation or sacred assembly—a specific time of contemplation when their minds and hearts were purely given to the Lord in solemnity and anticipation. It allowed them to acknowledge the corrupt way of life they had been living, in comparison to the future excitement and holiness they would experience with their rescuer, the Lord God Almighty. 

At the beginning of this seven-day period, the commandment was that they were to put all leaven out of their houses. Leaven represents corruption or evil influences. Jesus commands us today to do the same in our lives.

I know it's scripturally prophetic, but I still find it so sad that the Jewish leaders considered Christians as leaven to be put out of the nation. Clearly, they had not been searching for or awaiting the prophesied Christ they should have been.  

The Israelites in Exodus 12 were instructed to eat the Passover meal dressed and ready to go, awaiting the call to freedom. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover. Yet, these priests and others who observed this time so strictly were not ready when freedom came in the form of Jesus Christ. Instead, they slaughtered Him.

Thinking they purged the nation of Him, they unintentionally fulfilled Isaiah 53 and created the pathway for the resurrection of the true Passover lamb. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. That lamb became our shepherd.

So, as Peter was taken during this sacred observation, we see the Shepherd's sheep intensely praying for his freedom.

In that regard, let's consider the prayers that were offered for James. We have two disciples and the same group praying for each of them, yet one lived while the other was killed. We don't know what type of prayers went up for James, but in those days of heavy persecution, Christians would have been praying nonstop for many things, including safety, as we do today. 

In these situations, we can't say that prayer worked for one and not the other, or think that God preferred Peter, the rock/stone, over James, a son of thunder. It was simply a matter of how the cookie crumbled. It wasn't about the amount or type of prayer, but the will of God. This means we must continue to pray ardently in every instance, as commanded, because we don't know God's will on a matter unless directly shown to us.

I want to raise a couple of points regarding Peter's incident. His spiritual family brought his incarceration before God and kept it there without ceasing. Too often, we buckle under the burden of ceaseless prayer. We can't think beyond 10-15 minutes, and then we need a break. This is mostly due to laziness, slothfulness, and a lack of prayer exercise, as well as a lack of understanding of God's expectations. What we need to come to grips with is the gravity underpinning that type of ongoing prayer, and learn to do better. Persecution comes in cycles, and prayer is our defence.

The other point was when the angel smote Peter to wake him up. Despite being an angel of the Most High God executing his Lord's direct will, the angel still said, "Arise up quickly." 

Simply because we are doing the Lord's will doesn't mean we can take our time doing it. When the Lord gives us a job, as He did the angel, haste is expected. In Peter's case, dawn was coming. In our cases, we may not know. But, expediency is a part of carrying out that will.  

If we do those things well, we never know what can happen in the heavens. 

Verse 10 informs us of the route out. 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.

The unseen gate in this story is the one that prayer opened through love and desperation, and got the angel there in the first place.  Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Whatever situation you or your friends find yourselves in, giving up is the easy way out. Disciples are called to take the other road—keep praying in faith.

Prayer

Dear Lord, it never ceases to amaze me how you work and get your people to work. We observe your wonderful works through your human family in holding a brother up before you in prayer. Thank you for the power in prayer and its importance for our very being. Praise you again and again.

Photo by Pedro Lima