Have you ever been tempted to give up on your prayers? Have you ever thought “What’s the point? Does God even care?” Every believer has been in that place and probably more than just once. Yet God throughout his word gives frequent encouragement to pray. We find such an instance of prayer in the record of Peter’s miraculous deliverance from imprisonment. We do well to rehearse these and exhortations from the Lord so that we don’t lose heart, but continue in our prayers.
We read in Acts how “Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to take Peter also” (Acts 12:1-3). As providence would have it, this event occurred during the days of unleavened bread, one of three main Jewish feasts that occurred in the Jewish calendar. Therefore, Herod chose to “put him in prison…intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people” (Acts 12:4). No doubt, Herod fully intended to kill Peter after the feast days were passed. To this end “Peter therefore was kept in prison” (Acts 12:5).
What happens next is for our example. While Peter was in prison “prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:6). The people of God immediately went to the throne of grace. There were no intermediate steps. All too often we try to solve our problems ourselves only to fail time and again. We seem to go to Christ in prayer only as a last resort, when it should be our first course of action.
Note, too, that they prayed “without ceasing”. Their prayers were persistent, without interruption from weariness or indifference. Be assured, God hears the first time we pray. It is not the frequency of our prayers that captures his attention, but our earnestness. Our hearts are shaped unto his will by our persistent prayer.
Furthermore, their prayers were specific. They prayed for Peter’s deliverance. We are challenged to pray specifically so that we may see God’s answers in response to our specific prayers and know, indeed, that he has answered our prayers. In fact, if the prayers of the church on the behalf of Peter were for our example, then God’s answer to their prayers is for our encouragement.
We read that “when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains…” (Acts 12:6). That night an angel of the Lord appeared to Peter and led him out of the prison delivering him “out of the hand of Herod, and from the expectation of the…Jews”. God had amazingly and immediately answered their prayers! Peter went straight to the house of Mary “where many were gathered together praying” (Acts 12:11-12). God emphatically delivered Peter to their very presence!
God hears prayer; God answers prayer; don’t give up.
From the Chaplain 