Prayer Changes Everything

10/20/15

Acts 12.5,11 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

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.” – St. Luke, the physician

A pastor friend of mine stopped by the office today and we drank some coffee. We talked about various and sundry and he said that he was seriously considering ending his weekly prayer email because he thought there is just too much to pray about, and he wasn’t all that sure it was being effective. I told him it was something I really appreciated it, and perhaps, he could just change up the format but not forsake the encouragement to pray. Prayer changes everything.

In Acts 12 we read where King Herod (the Edomite) went on a tantrum and killed some of the believers in Jerusalem, including James, the brother of John. When Herod saw that it pleased the Jews immensely, he proceeded to arrest Simon Peter with the intent of killing him as well. God had other plans, and the local church united in prayer for Simon’s safety and return to their company.

You have to go and read the account in Acts 12 – it is fascinating. God answered the prayers of the saints, Peter was, in fact, delivered; and Herod some time later died because he was such a butt-head. It’s true. He really was a butt-head.

The Jews hated Peter, just as they had hated Jesus. The Jews hated James, just as they hated Jesus. And Herod was trying to win political favor with the Jews (who didn’t think to highly of him because of his non-Jewish heritage). Oh what a tangled web we weave… The other thing we must remember when reading the New Testament is that the term, the Jews, is not an overly glowing term. The very people with whom God chose to have such a special relationship, were the very ones who categorically and emphatically rejected Him. OMG! What a story of confused and broken people that brought upon themselves such hatred from their enemies all because they rejected their God for their god.

But we today run the risk of doing the same thing; if we’re not careful we may be lulled into believing the Real Thing is just something of our own making. Prayer helps put a stop to such slippage. The Church now, as the Church then must pray. We don’t have Herod’s running around these days, but there is no shortage of arrogant unbelievers who durst would do harm to God’s people; and we must pray for two reasons: 

1. We must pray for the advancement of God’s Kingdom – and
2. We must pray for the salvation of the lost…no shortage there either.

Peter’s church prayed and God did His work. What if our churches prayed? What would we see God do on our behalf despite the efforts of the Herod-like who pick on God’s people as if they are parasites to society?

Lord, help my friend to keep writing and posting, and encouraging us, Your Church, to keep praying – prayer changes everything… Amen