1 Kings 2: 13-46, 1 Kings 3: 1-15, Acts 11: 19-30, Acts 12: 1-19, Psalm 96
Acts 12: 5-7 (ESV)
“So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was
made to God by the church. Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that
very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and
sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to
him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him,
saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.”
In verses 5 through 7 from Acts 12, we see an example of
intercessory prayer and how Father-God responded to intercessory prayer. Peter
was imprisoned by Herod, and his followers responded by praying fervently, and
turning to Father-God in this time of crisis as Peter was their leader. We also
see in the next two verses that Father-God responded to the church’s intercessory
prayer and sent an angel to help Peter get out of prison. When we as believers
unite in intercessory prayer, it shows our trust in Father-God to intervene in
times of crisis. Intercessory prayer also brings a community of faith together
in the act of praying for someone or some event. The early church also shows us
not to despair when we are in crisis, but to pray and show our faith in the Father-God’s
control over all situations. But as believers we also need to keep praying,
even when there is no immediate result. It may take awhile as it did in verse 7
to Father-God intervene in the situation. We must also remember that if we do
not get the result we want, we must have faith in Father-God that he is working
all situations for the greater good and according to his plans for the world.
If you enjoyed reading my thoughts about these Bible verses,
find yourself a good, Holy Spirit filled, Bible-based church where you can join
with others in intercessory prayer for your crises and the crises of others in
your faith community.
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