Peter’s Miraculous Escape

ByJim Stephens

Scripture: Acts 12:6-19

6 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. 7 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. 8 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. (Acts 12:6-8 NLT)

I’d love for you to click the link above and read the full story! This is one of the most dramatic and ironically funny passages in the New Testament. King Herod has already executed James, and Peter is up next. He is locked deep in a fortress, bound with chains, and guarded by sixteen soldiers. Humanly speaking, it is a completely hopeless situation. Yet, God breaks through and miraculously sets him free!

The Peace of Absolute Surrender and Trust: Peter is scheduled for execution the very next day. He is bound tightly to two guards, in a pitch-black cell, sleeping like a baby! In fact he’s sleeping so soundly the angel has to give him a whack to wake him up! How do you sleep in a crisis like that? You only sleep like that when you have completely surrendered the outcome to God. Peter knew his life was in God’s hands, not Herod’s. He reached a point of rest that defied his circumstances.

The Irony of Little Faith: After Peter realizes he’s free and makes his way to Mary’s home where the believers were fervently praying for his release, Rhoda was so surprised to see him at the door she left him standing on the street! This is the beautiful, human irony of the story. A house full of believers has gathered to pray for Peter’s release. God answers their prayers so fast that Peter is literally standing on their doorstep. When they finally open the door and let him in, they are “amazed!”

My Two Main Takeaways:

  • What is keeping you awake at night right now? What chains or “tomorrow’s trials” are stealing your peace? Surrendering control to God allows us to rest, even on the eve of a trial beyond our control.
  • Have you ever doubted that God was actually working in response to your prayers? God does not wait for us to have perfect, doubt-free faith before he acts. He responds to our sincere, honest cries.

Prayer:

Father, Thank you for peace that comes before the rescue! Thank you for your patience when we pray with imperfect but sincere faith! We trust you with outcomes we cannot control! We love you and thank you! Amen!