ESCAPING DEATH
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Opening Prayer
Lord God, thank you that I can begin each day with thanksgiving and hope because of your great love for me, for the grace and mercy that you offer me each moment.
Read ACTS 12:1–19a
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison
12 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”
12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”
15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.
18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.
Reflect
Some classic prison escape stories have been depicted in film over the years. Perhaps one of the most thrilling in Scripture is this story in Acts 12. Prepare your heart to rejoice over God’s rescue of Peter!In a passing remark, we learn that James, the brother of John, was put to death by King Herod. James was a key disciple in the Gospels and in the church’s early years. Now he was gone, and it looked like it would be Peter’s turn. Herod wanted a high-profile trial that would please the Jews.
The night before the trial, Peter was awakened by an angel who miraculously led him out of prison. It became clear that God was not going to allow the church to lose two of its three key disciples in one fell swoop.
Peter, now free on Jerusalem’s streets, headed for a home where the believers would be gathered in prayer. Perhaps this was the home where the Last Supper had been held; we cannot know for sure. But we can be certain that God loves to answer the prayers of his people as they gather and cry out to him. Humorously, we are told the servant Rhoda was so taken aback at hearing Peter’s voice that she forgot to answer the door for him!
Apply
Peter had escaped death as the believers prayed. God does not always answer this kind of prayer with a ‘Yes!’, but let’s join in with others and pray for believers whose lives are under threat today.
Closing prayer
Father, give me faith to pray for the impossible, a faith that believes you can do anything that is according to your will and brings you glory.
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