10-27-2021
That first verse is critical in the history of the church. This singular event put the fellowship of Jesus into motion - Peter was placed in prison and the church began to pray. Peter was taken away from his family and friends. His family and friends rallied on his behalf.
In a stunning turn, however, over the centuries it seems that when one of our own (within the confines of the body of Christ) gets into trouble, makes a mistake, crosses a line, or even like Peter is wrongfully judged, we either run away from their presence or make pat statements like “We will be praying for you.” But, do we really?
It goes without saying that prayer is important. As someone has said, “Prayer is the key that unlocks Divinity.” We are not sure if that’s biblically correct, but nonetheless, we should be turning to our Creator a whole lot more than we do.
Praying for one another should - for followers of Jesus - come as easy as your next breath. And not just in bad times - although especially when there is literally nothing else we can do - but rather ALL THE TIME.
Not many people have a prayer list anymore. I (Steve) regrettably admit I do not have a personal one. I use the church one and add to it as necessary but I have failed to generate my own personal list. That needs to be rectified quickly. Why? There are a lot of “Simon Peters” who are “imprisoned” by life.
I think we can assume that if we were to individually create our own personal prayer lists that we would readily recognize some correlating information with one another's lists:
Those who are sick and hurting
Some who are inundated by a multitude of problems
The future of those we love
God filling us with His Spirit
People suffering the consequences of their sin
Our own sin
A hope for a healthy and joyous holiday season
A need for the saving power of Jesus in the lives of the people we know
A clearer understanding of what the Bible really says about the issues of today
Answers to questions and worries we keep to ourselves
In his book, All Things Are Possible Through Prayer, Charles L. Allen wrote of a man he knew who went through a nightly ritual of inserting his keys into one of his shoes before going to bed. When he arose the next morning to face another day, the last item he routinely reached for after getting dressed was the shoe containing those keys. Taking them out of his shoe, he would hold them in his hand while offering this simple, heartfelt prayer:
“Lord, this day I will come to certain doors that are locked but I shall use these keys to open those doors. And may I remember this day that there is a key to every situation, a solution to every problem. May I never surrender to one of life’s locked doors. Instead, may I use the keys on the key ring of prayer until I find the right key and the door will be opened.”
We hope you paid attention to the situation found in Acts 12 from above. Just a couple of things to remember: One, Peter apparently only saw one end to his predicament - his death. “Peter finally came to his senses. ‘It’s really true!’ he said. ‘The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!’” Peter was not ignorant of his situation nor was he in denial. He figured it was the end.
Secondly, the followers of Jesus (who loved Peter) saw another end to his predicament - God intervening. “The church prayed very earnestly for him.” This was not a quick, ejaculatory prayer. This was a time of prayer. This was a people who gave their time and effort to prayer. All for someone who saw only his undeniable demise.
Can you think of someone in that same type of situation today? Someone you love and are concerned for - a person who is caught in a prison from which they see no hope and no escape. When we speak of prisons we trust you understand we are speaking metaphorically and literally. Most of us will never be behind iron bars but we all have been imprisoned in life by our decisions, lack of decisions, behavior, attitude, resentment, anger, and unforgiveness...not to mention health, relationships or finances.
During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened,” (Matthew 7:7-8; Luke 11:9-10). What prisons do you need to pray about today - in your life and the life of someone else?
Indeed, the Bible tells us in Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way of death." Sometimes - maybe even now - some of us see death as the only escape from the prison we have found ourselves in.
“But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him. The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him. Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!” - Acts 12:5-11
That first verse is critical in the history of the church. This singular event put the fellowship of Jesus into motion - Peter was placed in prison and the church began to pray. Peter was taken away from his family and friends. His family and friends rallied on his behalf.
In a stunning turn, however, over the centuries it seems that when one of our own (within the confines of the body of Christ) gets into trouble, makes a mistake, crosses a line, or even like Peter is wrongfully judged, we either run away from their presence or make pat statements like “We will be praying for you.” But, do we really?
It goes without saying that prayer is important. As someone has said, “Prayer is the key that unlocks Divinity.” We are not sure if that’s biblically correct, but nonetheless, we should be turning to our Creator a whole lot more than we do.
Praying for one another should - for followers of Jesus - come as easy as your next breath. And not just in bad times - although especially when there is literally nothing else we can do - but rather ALL THE TIME.
Not many people have a prayer list anymore. I (Steve) regrettably admit I do not have a personal one. I use the church one and add to it as necessary but I have failed to generate my own personal list. That needs to be rectified quickly. Why? There are a lot of “Simon Peters” who are “imprisoned” by life.
I think we can assume that if we were to individually create our own personal prayer lists that we would readily recognize some correlating information with one another's lists:
Those who are sick and hurting
Some who are inundated by a multitude of problems
The future of those we love
God filling us with His Spirit
People suffering the consequences of their sin
Our own sin
A hope for a healthy and joyous holiday season
A need for the saving power of Jesus in the lives of the people we know
A clearer understanding of what the Bible really says about the issues of today
Answers to questions and worries we keep to ourselves
In his book, All Things Are Possible Through Prayer, Charles L. Allen wrote of a man he knew who went through a nightly ritual of inserting his keys into one of his shoes before going to bed. When he arose the next morning to face another day, the last item he routinely reached for after getting dressed was the shoe containing those keys. Taking them out of his shoe, he would hold them in his hand while offering this simple, heartfelt prayer:
“Lord, this day I will come to certain doors that are locked but I shall use these keys to open those doors. And may I remember this day that there is a key to every situation, a solution to every problem. May I never surrender to one of life’s locked doors. Instead, may I use the keys on the key ring of prayer until I find the right key and the door will be opened.”
We hope you paid attention to the situation found in Acts 12 from above. Just a couple of things to remember: One, Peter apparently only saw one end to his predicament - his death. “Peter finally came to his senses. ‘It’s really true!’ he said. ‘The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!’” Peter was not ignorant of his situation nor was he in denial. He figured it was the end.
Secondly, the followers of Jesus (who loved Peter) saw another end to his predicament - God intervening. “The church prayed very earnestly for him.” This was not a quick, ejaculatory prayer. This was a time of prayer. This was a people who gave their time and effort to prayer. All for someone who saw only his undeniable demise.
Can you think of someone in that same type of situation today? Someone you love and are concerned for - a person who is caught in a prison from which they see no hope and no escape. When we speak of prisons we trust you understand we are speaking metaphorically and literally. Most of us will never be behind iron bars but we all have been imprisoned in life by our decisions, lack of decisions, behavior, attitude, resentment, anger, and unforgiveness...not to mention health, relationships or finances.
During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened,” (Matthew 7:7-8; Luke 11:9-10). What prisons do you need to pray about today - in your life and the life of someone else?
Indeed, the Bible tells us in Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way of death." Sometimes - maybe even now - some of us see death as the only escape from the prison we have found ourselves in.
But may we remind you that there is a group of people who are believing life for you? People who truly love you.
And, we are praying for you. We are praying for God to move in your life and in your circumstances: your today; your tomorrow. And who knows, perhaps today will be the day that, like Peter, you will walk out of your prison and exclaim, “It’s really true! The Lord has saved me from the world and what life had planned to do to me!”
Here’s to you and your soon release…
Steve and Missy
Here’s to you and your soon release…
Steve and Missy
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