Prayer (Acts 12)
Is prayer something you do well? How many of us would say that we excel at praying? Do we say the right things when we pray? Are we repeating meaningless words and phrases? Is prayer done on autopilot? Is it so meaningless to us that we aren't doing it very often?
Today, we will examine a passage revealing our need to pray.
Shocking News
In the last two Chapters, we learned that the Gentiles were added to the kingdom. The church has been multiplying since Jesus was resurrected and ascended to heaven. The Jews were not extremely excited about bringing the Gentiles into the kingdom, but Paul and Barnabas worked hard to encourage the Gentiles in Antioch.
At the end of Chapter 11, we learn there is a famine in the land. When we get to Chapter 12, we learn about king Herod being violent toward the church. He even had James, the apostle, beheaded. This is shocking news! Until now, we haven't heard about any of the apostles dying. James dying would have been a massive blow in the church on top of everything else that was going on. But the Jews loved Herod for this. So Herod decided to take Peter also and kill him right after the Passover.
Disciples Pray
First famine, then James, now Peter! What is going on? Can you imagine going through all of this? How would you respond to that? Peter has been the most significant leader among the twelve apostles. How would the church feel about losing him? Notice that the people's response isn't to try and find a way to spring Peter from prison. That would have resulted in a blood bath because Herod had hired four squads of soldiers to guard him. That would be about 16 men watching one man. Remember that Peter had escaped miraculously when the chief priests captured him. Herod isn't taking any chances here.
Verse 5 tells us that "earnest prayer for him (Peter) was made to God by the church." Think about hearing of a great preacher being arrested. Would you devote yourself to prayer? How much time would you spend on it? Now, imagine that the preacher you have just prayed for is put to death. How do you feel about God, the world you live in, and the value of prayer? So many times, we have prayers that we offer up to God, and we receive an answer we don't like.
Now the greatest preacher has been arrested. Would you assume that Satan has already won this battle? Would you believe that there is no point in praying for him? It's so easy for us to give less effort, thinking it is a waste of time when we get a "NO" answer. But these Christians seem just as earnest as they were before.
God Says, "Yes!"
After waiting and praying for some time, nothing happened. On the last night, Peter was in the prison cell, sleeping beside two guards, bound by two chains and guarded by sentries stationed at the door. I wonder what Peter was thinking about. Was he praying to be delivered? Had he accepted his fate? We don't know, but the man who had previously denied Christ to avoid this kind of judgment was ready. He had defended the faith multiple times, saying, "We will obey God rather than man."
But, while he is sleeping, something unique happens. God sends Peter an angel to wake him in the middle of the night. The angel hurried him up and led him past the sentries. When they came to the iron gate, the text tells us, it opened for them of its own accord. They went out on the street, and the angel left Peter all at once. At this point, with the cool night air hitting his face, he realized this was real. It seemed unreal to him as it was happening, but now he knows that God has delivered him from the hands of Herod and all the Jewish people who wanted to kill him.
So Peter walks down the road to the house of John Mark, where a group of disciples had gathered to pray for him. These Christians had been praying for Peter all night. Probably everyone was sleeping, but not these disciples. They were devoting themselves to prayer and seeking God's help for Peter. God let James die, but they were going to be more diligent. They don't lessen their prayers. They keep praying. While they are praying, they hear a noise outside. Someone is knocking on the door of the gateway. Who would knock on the door of the gateway at this time of night? That would be scary because Herod has been capturing and punishing Christians.
They sent a young servant girl named Rhoda out to answer. But when she heard Peter's voice, she forgot to open the gate! This is humorous. Can you imagine Peter has escaped prison but can't get into the house of his friends? The people hear that it's Peter and they don't believe it. They have been praying for this to happen, but they don't think it can be true. After getting a "No" answer for a long time, they doubted anything would happen. They think that it must be Peter's messenger. No. It's Peter. When they finally see him, they are so excited that he has to quiet them down so that he won't be taken back to prison.
The Aftermath
The following day, all the soldiers are upset because they can't find Peter. Herod went to great lengths to keep Peter in prison, and now the soldiers have lost him. What do you think will happen? After Herod did not find him, he questioned the soldiers and had them put to death. Isn't that sad? It wasn't the soldiers' fault that Peter escaped. Herod is just angry because he was planning to celebrate the murder of Peter, and now he can't.
At the chapter's end, Luke tells us a little story about Herod. One day he was speaking to the men from Tyre and Sidon. Herod had been angry with them for some reason and was withholding food. But they finally got through to Herod's attendant, so, on an appointed day, he put on his kingly robes and spoke to them. His speech was top-notch. All the people cried, "The voice of a god, and not a man!" When Herod heard that, he felt really good about himself. That's right! I have this extraordinary ability to speak. Look at me.
But verse 23 says, "Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last." God strikes him down because he is opposed to the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. This event reminds me of Nebuchadnezzar on his balcony, looking at his kingdom and being proud of himself for everything he has done. That's not true. Nebuchadnezzar was a tool in God's hand. He is called God's hammer, but in Ezekiel, he says he will throw the hammer into the fire. In Daniel, he lets Nebuchadnezzar live as a wild animal until he recognizes that God is the one who deserves the glory.
What Do We Learn?
This is a story about our Lord. Is Jesus powerful enough to conquer all of his enemies? Absolutely! He can do anything he desires. But he didn't save James. I am still trying to figure out what happened to James exactly. Maybe he died in the blink of an eye. It could have happened so fast that the disciples didn't have much opportunity to pray. But Jesus did not save him. Does that mean he couldn't?
Sometimes we don't understand why there is suffering among God's people. If we pray and do what is right, shouldn't Jesus keep us from suffering? This text reminds us that suffering is the seed of the church. Jesus suffered for sinful people, and we are all called to follow in his footsteps. Maybe James said something to Herod about the murder of John the Baptist. Maybe he spoke some other truth hoping to convert Herod's men. Whatever the cause, James was serving his master with all his heart, and he has gone on to see his reward.
We may lose sight of our purpose in our attempts to preserve life. James didn't, and Jesus let him see it through. The church mourned his loss, but Jesus knew what he was doing.
Peter gives us the opposite example. He shows us that Jesus is willing and able to free his servant from the enemy's grasp. He shows us that he hears our prayers and pleas and wants to answer in the affirmative. What a powerful statement it is when Jesus responds in this way. Not only does he set Peter free, but he also kills Herod at his peak.
Application
Think about prayer for a moment. Have you ever been told, "No?" I remember a friend of mine in high school falling off a car and hitting his head on the pavement. I prayed for him every day and all the time. I wanted him to survive. Then, another friend of mine got hit by an eighteen-wheeler right outside the school. He was in a coma for weeks. I prayed for him too. Neither of them survived. I hoped against hope, but the answer was "No."
It's hard when we ask for God's help, and we don't get it. Some are skeptical of Christianity because God has not miraculously answered their prayers. They would quote Jesus' words, "Whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you" (John 16:23). Then, he would compare that to a genie in a bottle. It's easy for us to give up hope for a future based on the past. These Christians did not stop praying. They didn't stop believing God was willing to help their helpless situation.
Did you see this coming? These disciples had no idea that God would bring Peter out this way. They are shocked. After receiving a negative response, do we learn not to get our hopes up? I told you about two friends in high school, but a few years later, one of Jenna's close friends had a baby, and Jenna was there for the birth. But she had some complications. Patricia had a genetic disorder that caused her blood not to clot, and they rushed Jenna and her sister out of the room. It was scary. I was at home, and I'll never forget that phone call. The thought that her husband would be raising that baby without her mom struck me and scared me to death for him. I prayed harder than I'd ever prayed. But I remembered the times I had prayed in the past. I remembered the "No's." My hopes were not high, but this time God said, "Yes."
Friends of ours have had miscarriages, and so have we. That's something we don't often discuss, but it is a reality many people face. We pray, and we pray for things to work out, and we have God tell us "No" repeatedly. Maybe you don't have high hopes but pray anyway, believing God can do exceedingly above all we ask or think.