Trust in the Lord

Intro

Have you ever wished for something but doubted it would happen? Or maybe you asked for a very large gift for Christmas but you weren’t sure if you would get it. Sometimes we ask for things but think that what we are asking for is too big, too hard to accomplish, will cost too much. So we ask but in reality we have little hope of it happening. As we look at today’s passage, we are going to see God’s people praying, but that they are reluctant to believe that God would do what they were asking for.

If we remember from the previous weeks, James has just been executed. Peter was arrested and Herod planned to execute him in the morning. The night before his impending death, Peter is delivered from captivity by an angel. We pick up there.

Acts 12:12 “12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.”

Peter has contemplated what has just taken place, that it was not a dream but is real. God has rescued him from death. After processing this truth, he sets out for a home where he is sure believers will be gathered. It could have been the closest gathering place to the prison . It could be that it was one of the larger gathering places as Luke tells us many were gathered there.

We learn that this house belongs to Mary, the mother of Mark aka John. He is mentioned later in Acts and elsewhere by Peter and Paul. He is believed to be the one who penned the Gospel according to Mark. It is unlikely that people called him John Mark, but rather the Jews referred to him as John and the Gentiles called him Mark. He had a Jewish name and a Greek name. We learn elsewhere that he is Barnabas’s cousin, and so it is likely that just as Barnabas was well to do, so Mary is well off as she has a large home.

Luke informs us that many were gathered together.

In times of tribulation and trouble we should...

Surround ourselves with other believers

The believers who remained in Jerusalem had just seen the apostle James killed for his faith. Then, Peter was arrested by the same crowd pleasing man who was likely to meet the same fate. We see that the believers do not let the uncertain and fearful times keep them apart, but rather they come together. God designed for the Church to be a place of safety, love, and care. Is that the way we are as a body? When trouble comes your way, is one of your first thoughts reaching out to the church? On the flip side, are we a people that others would desire to seek in times of trouble?

Galatians 6:2 “2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Philippians 2:3 “3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

Romans 12:15 “15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

We see here and elsewhere in Scripture that the family of God is supposed to be a place of refuge. It is there that we can experience the comfort of God. It is there that we will be pointed back to truth, where we will be reminded of who is in control. Sometimes it can be our natural tendency to isolate ourselves when we are in trouble. We may be ashamed of what we did or how we feel. We may believe the lie that no one else will understand. These things are simply not true and are lies of the enemy. We see the believers in Jerusalem gather together despite the danger they are in as followers of Christ. They do this because that gathering, those people were their family, because they knew they could trust them even with great fear. They knew they were not alone in their fear. So they gathered together.

Seek the Lord

Not only did the believers gather together, but they were praying. Luke does not tell us why they are praying or for what, but based on the context we know that they were praying for the deliverance of people and likely the safety of the rest of the church. They did not understand why all these things were happening, but they had seen before how God was using the persecution of the church to further the spread of the gospel. So as they prayed, they would have been seeking wisdom to understand and to act according to God’s will. They would have been seeking God to be their refuge and hiding place in trouble.

Philippians 4:6–7 “6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

1 Peter 5:6–7 “6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Psalm 142:5–6 “5 I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” 6 Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!”

These are just a few examples of many, where we are directed to go to God with our troubles. Again and again, we are reminded that God hears us, that He cares for us, and that He will give us peace. When trouble comes upon us, where do we turn? Do we turn to what makes us comfortable? Maybe food, or sleep, it could be lust. Maybe we become irritable or angry. We may cower in fear, paralyzed by a situation that is out of our control. The believers here show us what we ought to do. When trouble comes our way we need to draw near to our brothers and sisters in Christ and with them draw near to God. We do this because He cares for us. We do this because He is faithful.

As the believers are gathered together, something unexpected happens

Acts 12:13–14 “13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate.”

Peter comes to their door and knocks. It is the middle of the night, and so the door would have been locked and the fact that someone was knocking would have likely caused some alarm amongst those gathered. They may have thought, “They found us and are going to arrest us to!”

It was Jewish custom to have a servant girl answer the door, so Rhoda, though she too was a Christian, fulfilled her duty to see who was knocking. When she gets to the gate, she hears Peter’s voice and is overjoyed. God had delivered Peter as they had been praying for. We do not know for sure if this is neglect on her part to not open the door or if this was the practice, that she see who it was and report it to the master of the house before letting them in. Either way, she joyfully runs to tell the others that Peter is there without letting him in.

Acts 12:15 “15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!””

She reports the news that Peter is standing at the door, but they do not believe her. They say she is confused, not thinking straight.

She insists that Peter is there, not backing down from what she heard. She knew his voice and wasn’t letting anyone dissuade her.

Then someone suggests that it is Peter’s angel. It was a common belief amongst Jews that each person had a guardian angel. It is likely that this suggestion of it being Peter’s angel was meaning that his guardian angel had been given a message to tell them and that the angel had taken Peter’s form so that they would know it was from him. There is little support for this idea of guardian angels elsewhere in Scripture, so its mention here does not suggest whether or not it is true. We do know that angels are real and that God uses them to protect his people at times. We do not know how exactly God goes about this, but we can trust that He will do what is best according to His good plan.

Acts 12:16 “16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.”

After an undisclosed amount of time debating who was at the door, they decide to open it and see. They are taken aback when they see Peter, the answer to their prayers, standing before them.

Trust the Lord to deliver

These believers were praying earnestly through the night, but when confronted with the possibility that their prayer had been answered they were doubtful, making excuses for what seemed more likely than God answering. When we pray, we should do so expectantly, trusting and hoping that God will answer. Throughout the Old and New Testament we are told to go to God because He hears and responds. So we should go to God and pray expectantly, believing that He will answer.

Now, this being said, I am not saying that God will answer every prayer just as we want Him to. What I am saying is that God answers every prayer, though it is not always how we want. In this instance God delivered Peter because He had more for Peter to do on this earth. I’m sure the church was praying fervently for James as well and the Lord allowed for his life to be taken. When we seek God in prayer, it is not wrong for us to ask God t change the circumstances, to take away the suffering and pain. But we should not only ask for that. James tells us to ask for wisdom when we face trials. Meaning that we can gain God’s perspective on the suffering we are enduring. If God allows us to suffer, it is to help us grow in steadfastness, endurance, patience, to be long-suffering. Peter reminds us that we are not alone in our suffering, but that we join our Lord and Savior who suffered in the same ways as us and in greater ways than we can understand. Knowing this, that Christ to suffered, and not in vain, so our suffering is not in vain. When Jesus suffered it was for a purpose, to ransom many, to buy us out of slavery to sin. When we suffer, it is an opportunity for us to grow in Christlikeness as He suffered and entrusted Himself to God’s plan. We know that the suffering we experience now is only temporary as God is going to deliver us once and for from sin and its effects.

1 Peter 5:10 “10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

God will restore us. This He has said and so we know it to be true. We can count on this, that whatever we experience in this life it is only for a little while, then we will be in eternal glory with Jesus. So we can pray expectantly that God will deliver us, whether that be in this life or the next, our suffering is only temporary. What a hope we have in Jesus!

Acts 12:17 “17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.”

Peter raises his hand for them to listen to what he has to say. Morning is coming and soon his escape will be known. He does not want them to get to loud and rowdy and he has places to go. He relays to them how God delivered him from prison. God sent his angel who freed him. When deliverance comes, it is always by the hand of God. If we are suffering physically and experience healing, it is from God. He may have worked through doctors, medications, procedures, but ultimately it was God who worked. We may be experiencing hardships in relationships and experience restoration, it was God who worked. Peter saw past the angel who walked him out and saw that it was God’s mighty hand at work in His life. May we have eyes to see how God is graciously at work in our lives each day. Even little blessings and victories are due to the kindness of our God. And when we see them, may we give thanks and glory to God for His goodness towards us.

Peter tells them to spread the word, how God had miraculously delivered him. He says to tell James, who is most likely James, the brother of Jesus and the author of the epistle James. We see that it is no longer an apostle who is head of the Jerusalem church but James the brother of Jesus. Just as Peter is moving around spreading the gospel, so the other apostles are doing so as we see Peter and John both write to churches throughout the world. The apostles are following Jesus to command to go to the ends of the earth, establishing churches, strengthening them, and continuing to other regions.

Luke does not tell us where Peter goes, but we know that he uses wisdom to distance himself from Herod. God has shown that He has a plan for Peter outside of prison and so he does well to lay low. James and Stephen stood tall in the face of opposition while we see Peter laying low. There is not a prescribed response to persecution given to us, but examples of using wisdom and following the leading of God. Sometimes we may be called to stand in boldness while others it may time to move along to other people. We must use the resources God has given us to take wise action. He has given us the Church, His Word, and His Spirit to help us along the way. What rich resources we have from God to navigate life.