Sweet Hour of Prayer Part 3

This morning we’re continuing our look into the prayer life of the early church as they prayed for the deliverance of the Apostle Peter from prison.

God answered the church’s fervent, continual prayer and Peter was broken out of prison by an angel.

I guess we could call it the first God-sponsored prison break. The next one would come a little later being helped along by an earthquake that would release Paul and Silas.

Read Acts 12.13-19.

We saw last week, as Peter followed the angel, God opened the way; and when Peter was free, the angel vanished. His work was done and now it was up to Peter to trust the Lord and use his common sense in taking the next step.

Since it was the prayers of God’s people that had helped to set him free, Peter decided that the best place for him would be in that prayer meeting at Mary’s house.

Also, he wanted to report the good news that God had answered their prayers. So Peter headed for the house of Mary, mother of John Mark.

When you remember that (a) many people were praying, (b) they were praying earnestly, (c) they prayed night and day for perhaps as long as a week, and (d) their prayers were centered specifically on Peter’s deliverance, then the scene that is described here is almost comical.

The answer to their prayers is standing at the door, but they don’t have faith enough to open the door and let him in! God could get Peter out of a prison, but Peter can’t get himself into a prayer meeting!

The Church’s Problem (13-17)

The problem with the church’s praying was that they were not ready for the answer. The answer to their prayers stood at the door knocking.

When we pray we need to expect God to answer! He may not always answer the way we want, but He does send the answer. When the answer to our prayers stands at the door knocking we need to receive God’s answer.

Many Christians have problems with praying because they are surprised at the answer. If we pray in faith we must believe that God hears our prayers and has the power to answer our prayers.

I hope you’re not surprised when God answers your prayers.

Now, to their credit, the knock at the door might have been that of Herod’s soldiers, coming to arrest more believers.

It took courage for the maid Rhoda (“rose”) to go to the door; but imagine her surprise when she recognized Peter’s voice! She was so overcome that she forgot to open the door!

She had gotten so excited about Peter being at the door that she forgot to let him in!

Poor Peter had to keep knocking and calling while the “believers” in the prayer meeting decided what to do! And the longer he stood at the gate, the more dangerous his situation became.

What about the “It’s his angel comment?”

The exclamation, “It is his angel!” (Acts 12:15) reveals their belief in “guardian angels” (Matt. 18:10; Heb. 1:14). Of course, the logical question is, “Why would an angel bother to knock?” All he had to do was simply walk right in! Sad to say, good theology plus unbelief often leads to fear and confusion.

Sometimes even in the most fervent prayer meetings there is sometimes a spirit of doubt and unbelief.

We are like the father who cried to Jesus, “Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

These Jerusalem saints believed that God could answer their prayers, so they kept at it night and day. But, when the answer came right to their door, they refused to believe it.

God graciously honors even the weakest faith, but how much more He would do if only we would trust Him.

This is a serious situation, but it has a little humor in it as well.

One commentator wrote, “They were saying, ‘Don’t interrupt us with news of Peter’s release from prison because we are too busy praying for his release. Don’t bother us with a word of a miracle from God because we are too busy praying for a miracle from God.

Notice the plural pronouns in Acts 12:16: “They … opened the door and … they were astonished.”

I get the impression that, for safety’s sake, they decided to open the door together and face together whatever might be on the other side.

Rhoda would have done it by herself, but she was too overcome with joy.

It is commendable that a lowly servant girl recognized Peter’s voice and rejoiced that he was free. Rhoda surely was a believer who knew Peter as a friend.

v. 17 - Apparently everybody began to speak at once and Peter had to silence them. He quickly gave an account of the miracle of his deliverance and no doubt thanked them for their prayer help. He instructed them to get the word to James, the half brother of the Lord, who was the leader of the Jerusalem assembly (Matt. 13:55; Acts 15:13ff; Gal. 1:19). James was also the author of the Epistle of James.

Where Peter went when he left the meeting, nobody knows to this day! It certainly was a well-kept secret. Except for a brief appearance in Acts 15, Peter walks off the pages of the Book of Acts to make room for Paul and the story of his ministry among the Gentiles.

First Corinthians 9:5 tells us that Peter traveled in ministry with his wife, and 1 Corinthians 1:12 suggests that he visited Corinth.

There is no evidence in Scripture that Peter ever visited Rome. In fact, if Peter had founded the church in Rome, it is unlikely that Paul would have gone there, for his policy was to work where other Apostles had not labored (Rom. 15:18–22).

Also, he certainly would have said something to or about Peter when he wrote his letter to the Romans.

vv. 18-19 - Obviously Peter’s escaped caused a bit of a stir around the prison.

The guards knew that their lives would be in danger because they let the prisoner go.

So Herod ordered the guards be put to death.

Now that Peter had escaped and couldn’t be found, Herod got out of dodge because he didn’t want to hear any more about it.

He left to go to Caesarea to stay there.

Next week we’ll see what happens when Herod fails to give God glory.

Our biggest takeaway from the church’s experience is to not be surprised when God answers our prayers.