Project 119: Acts 12

 |  Project 119  |  Mary Splawn

This week, each devotional will be a prayer that incorporates truths about God’s character and love that we see displayed in Scripture. This prayer is based on Acts 12.

Powerful God, We long to see Your hand displayed in magnificent ways, as was the case with Peter’s miraculous escape from prison. We can hardly imagine that the first century church anticipated such an answer to prayer as they earnestly lifted their voices to You on Peter’s behalf.

To their surprise, You brought Peter out of prison and Your bondage breaking power remains the same today. We praise You because we know that Your hand is powerful and swift, Your ways are mighty and illuminating, and You are able to work in any way You see fit.

Father, teach us to recognize Your miraculous power and give us spiritual sight for the glory of Jesus Christ. Help us to meditate on His supernatural defeat of hell and death by becoming sin on our behalf, experiencing the death we deserved, and rising victoriously on the third day to become the firstborn of many who will one day be raised victoriously (2 Corinthians 5:21, Colossians 1:18, Revelation 1:5).

We praise You for this miracle of miracles in Jesus and we thank You for the times when we have seen Your breathtaking work in the here and now. Help us not to disregard Your work and claim it as our own. And, remind us to pray with expectation (Psalm 5:3), while knowing that Your will may not always entail the outcome we desire or expect.

We pray as Your church that Your glory might be manifest in our lives and in Your world, Amen.

As we close out the week, I’d like to encourage us to pray this prayer below in preparation for the corporate gatherings in our church on Sunday morning.

Come Holy Spirit,

come like a fire and burn,

come like a wind and cleanse,

convict, convert, and consecrate our hearts to our great good

and to Thy great glory, Amen.

(Prayer of Fleming Rutledge before her Lenten sermons at the Cathedral Church of the Advent on March 26 and 27, 2018, available via the Cathedral Church of the Advent’s podcast).

Acts 12 (ESV):

About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

6 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. 7 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. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.”Then he departed and went to another place.

18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.

20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food. 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.

24 But the word of God increased and multiplied.

25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.