Acts 12-14; Proverbs 29
*Click here to read these passages:
I have to say, I’m so glad Luke included all the details he did as
to what happened after Peter was miraculously rescued. First of all, I love that the servant
girl Rhoda was so excited to hear Peter’s voice at the door that she left him
there without opening the door to go tell the others. And he’s just standing there knocking! Too funny! I also kind of get a kick out of the fact that they were
gathered there to specifically pray for Peter and when he shows up while they
are praying for him, they don’t even believe it!
God answered their prayers right then, yet they were
surprised. They didn’t believe
that Peter could possibly be at their door. He was chained and heavily guarded. I’m giving them the benefit of the
doubt and would say that they did believe God could protect Peter, but God
ending up doing way more than they could even imagine!
I mentioned the other day about wondering why we don’t experience
the miracles in the same way the early church did. And once again, I’m no Bible scholar and I don’t have all
the answers, but I think a big part of the reason can be found in this: “but
the church was earnestly praying to God …” “They were worshiping the Lord and fasting …” “They had fasted and prayed …”
Worshiping, fasting, and earnestly praying. Earnestly – showing deep sincerity and
intense conviction; serious in intention, purpose, or effort. They were serious about prayer. They prayed specifically. They prayed sacrificially, giving up
their needs and their time. They
prayed with desperation for God’s presence and power. They prayed with faith. They saturated their movement with prayer, and wow, did God
move!
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