By Toni Ford
I love the story in Acts 12 of Peter’s miraculous escape from prison. The story begins a few verses ahead, with King Herod Agrippa persecuting the believers of the church to such extremes as having the apostle James killed with a sword. This actually is the first of the twelve apostles martyred for his faith. King Herod Agrippa continued by arresting Peter, with the intentions of bringing him out for a public trial once Passover is over. King Herod Agrippa knew of Peter’s previous two miraculous escapes from prison, all due to the Lord intervening. This time, King Herod Agrippa had four squads of soldiers with four soldiers in a squad watching – and some even chained to – Peter, day and night! As soon as the church members heard and saw all that was going on, they gathered together and continued to pray day and night for an entire week. This is where the story continues, and within this story, I believe we see a beautiful picture of our Lord’s character, personality, and even His humor!
Our God is a God of Peace. Acts 12:6 says, “The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate.” Peter was so filled with the peace of God that he was able to sleep the night before he was to be placed on trial. One of his best friends had been murdered just days ahead, and Peter saw how many guards were guarding him day and night. Yet, even in what appears to be the worse situation Peter could encounter, he could still sleep comfortably and be at peace. Make no mistake – this is a peace that doesn’t come from things of the world or other people, but only from Jesus!
Our God is a God of Order. Acts 12: 8 says, “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.” Although they were in a hurry to get out of prison before the guards noticed everything going on, God cared enough to take care of some details that He knew Peter would need. Even in the midst of situations that seem crazy and out of our control, God knows what we need in order to complete our journey, and He always provides for us at the right time!
Our God knows how far to Lead us. Acts 12: 10 says, “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.” Up until this time, the angel of the Lord had been directing Peter’s every move. The angel led Peter to the point where freedom was attainable, but Peter had to take the next steps in order to obtain that freedom! The Lord is always faithful to do His part, but in order for us to obtain the freedom and blessing He has for us, we must obey Him by taking the next step.
In each of these situations, we see our Lord performing the supernatural within the natural. Our God will often join the miraculous with the ordinary, just to encourage us to keep in balance. Even in miracles, God is always practical. God alone can do the extraordinary but His people must do the ordinary!
If you would like me to join you in prayer please email me at tonif77@gmail.com. I would love to pray for you!