Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room
January 26, 2022
Read Acts of the Apostles 12:6-17
6 The night before Herod was going to bring Peter’s case forward, Peter was asleep between two soldiers and bound with two chains, with soldiers guarding the prison entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel from the Lord appeared and a light shone in the prison cell. After nudging Peter on his side to awaken him, the angel raised him up and said, “Quick! Get up!” The chains fell from his wrists. 8 The angel continued, “Get dressed. Put on your sandals.” Peter did as he was told. The angel said, “Put on your coat and follow me.” 9 Following the angel, Peter left the prison. However, he didn’t realize the angel had actually done all this. He thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself. After leaving the prison, they proceeded the length of one street, when abruptly the angel was gone. 11 At that, Peter came to his senses and remarked, “Now I’m certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod and from everything the Jewish people expected.” 12 Realizing this, he made his way to Mary’s house. (Mary was John’s mother; he was also known as Mark.) Many believers had gathered there and were praying. 13 When Peter knocked at the outer gate, a female servant named Rhoda went to answer. 14 She was so overcome with joy when she recognized Peter’s voice that she didn’t open the gate. Instead, she ran back in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 “You’ve lost your mind!” they responded. She stuck by her story with such determination that they began to say, “It must be his guardian angel.” 16 Meanwhile, Peter remained outside, knocking at the gate. They finally opened the gate and saw him there, and they were astounded. 17 He gestured with his hand to quiet them down, then recounted how the Lord led him out of prison. He said, “Tell this to James and the brothers and sisters.” Then he left for another place
Good Morning! God is with us!
This morning we have an interesting story to unpack. It is important to remember that Herod had become obsessed with ridding the world of Jesus’ followers, these Christians. For Herod, like most of the Roman leaders, his biggest priority was to eliminate any possible threats to his power. Prior to Peter’s arrest, Pilot had imprisoned James and then had him beheaded. The crazy thing is that not only serve Herod’s insatiable thirst for power, but he made the Jews happy as well. It was like a two-for-one special.
Peter was on Herod’s radar because he was preaching and teaching to thousands who were joining this radical movement. So when Peter was put in prison, his followers feared the worst. They knew he would be killed, the only question was the method of his execution. Obviously, Peter knew this as well and probably expected that he would be beheaded as well. It was a very showy way for Herod to showcase his power.
In verse six, we read that Peter is sleeping. You might wonder how he could sleep at such a time, but if we believe that God is with us even in our darkest hour, then sleep will come. To me, Peter shows amazing faith in God as he sleeps. Next, we read the description of how the angel releases Peter from his chains and leads him from the prison, we can see God’s plan at work in Peter’s life. We are taught that God has a plan for each of us, but we must never lose sight of the fact that there is an opposing plan in place fueled by greed and sin. While Peter slept, God was working to save Peter while Herod was working to kill Peter. The final element of the prison event is that if we believe, no prison or no obstacle is too hard for God to overcome. If only we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains to reveal God’s glory.
Finally, let’s consider the prayer meeting who were praying and weeping as they considered Peter’s obvious fate. Are they really praying, or are they just going through the motions? Did they believe that God could or would save Peter? We find the answer when they tell Rhoda that she has “lost her mind” when she says that Peter is at the door. They continued to pray and not believe Rhoda while Peter continued to knock and stand at the gate. Sadly, many times God is calling to us, but we are so consumed by our own petitions that we even hear the call. It’s like when two people are calling each other simultaneously and both receive a busy signal. Gratefully, God will continue knocking until we finally open the door.
Loving God, Thank You for loving us. We struggle with true faith. We pray, we go to church, and we read scripture. Despite our efforts, we still doubt! Help us open ourselves to Your love and mercy so that we can grow in faith. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Pray with faith. God is listening.
Believe in the power of God! Pastor Liz
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