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Acts 12 "Fervent, Extended Prayer"
Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. (Acts 12:1-6)
We do not really learn to pray until the need is great. The church was happily going along enjoying its peace after the conversion of Saul, when suddenly out of nowhere, here comes trouble. Herod Antipas, the grandson of the Herod who slaughtered the innocents in Bethlehem and the nephew of the Herod who beheaded John the Baptist, has been made king over Judea and the surrounding territories, and to show everyone how religious and Jewish he is, he picks the apostles as likely targets. First he kills James the brother of John with the sword, and then he catures Peter. However, since it was the beginning of a feast he decided to leave the execution until a few days later. But while Peter was in prison, the church was on its knees. The phrase used means extended, fervent prayer.
I think it is also our turn to learn about extended fervent prayer. This last week we received a fax from the manager of the building which we rent on Sundays in Shibuya. The fax stated that we are no longer welcome there and that we will have to move to somewhere else by next week. Suddenly, out of nowhere, here comes trouble! One day we are singing and praising God, and the next we are on our knees. Indeed, it is our turn to learn about the serious business of prayer. And as we come to this school of prayer, the Lord has provided for us this chapter of Acts at this time to be our textbook. Let us study up this morning for the work that we have before us. Let's learn from the church of Acts as they prayed for Peter.
But first let me give you the reasons why we so often
pray brief, spiritless, weak, ineffectual prayers. The first reason
is that we do not really love as Jesus loves. Extended, fervent prayer
is hard work. It takes sacrifice. When the church heard of the situation
of Peter they prayed with all their might because they loved Peter.
Remember with me Jesus as he prayed to His Father for the disciples
in the gospel of John. Love is what stirs us to pray in a self sacrificing
way.
The second reason is that we do not really believe that our prayers
are making a difference. We rationalize our brevity by telling ourselves
that God knows our need and to vainly repeat our request gets us nowhere.
But in our hearts we doubt that God can do it. We doubt that God will
do it. We doubt that God will do it for us, or in this situation, or
in this time, or in this place. We look at the impossibility before
us and allow it to overshadow our faith in God.
Let us repent first of these things that hinder our prayer. Lord, Jesus
Christ. We lack the solid love that you displayed when you went to the
cross, when you suffered and died, when you sacrificed everything so
that we might be saved. Forgive us for loving weakly, and inconstantly.
And fill us, Lord Jesus, with your love. Make us love the things that
you love, love the way that you love, love constantly and fervently
the way you do. Lord Jesus, we also lack faith, forgive us for focussing
on the problems rather than on you. Forgive us our doubts, help our
unbelief.
If we are to receive the miracles of God, then we must
learn to pray as the church of Acts prayed. Let's look closely at the
situation. Herod is deadly serious in his persecution. This is not like
Peter's previous arrests when he could talk his way out of the problem.
There would be no hearing or trial. Herod would execute him just as
surely as he had executed James. Sometimes, I think we pray in the direction
things are already going, "Lord, help things to go smoothly."
This is not one of those cases. Without prayer, Peter would die.
There was also nothing humanly possible that could be done to help Peter.
Herod had been very careful that Peter would not vanish out of his prison
like he had out of the common prison of the high priest. Peter was not
just locked in a cell, but chained up between two guards with another
two guards at the door. And just to be sure that the guards would be
fresh they rotated the duty between four shifts. We sometimes pray that
God will provide as we frantically do everything in our power. This
is not one of those situations. There would be no rescue attempt. Without
prayer there could be no escape.
They had already been praying for days. Ever since the arrest the church
had been praying. And yet there was no response. The clock was ticking,
time was running out, and yet no response from God. When the sun rose
the next morning Peter would be brought before the people and beheaded.
It was already the middle of the night, and yet they continued. Sometimes
we resign ourselves to the will of God. Surely they had also prayed
for James who was not rescued by an angel. God does not always answer
our prayers as we would have them answered. But the time to submit is
not yet, lest we love too little, and doubt too much. Until the executioner's
sword would come down, the church is called to be constant in prayer;
fervent, extended prayer.
When we look at the situation, we have no choice. The only thing to do is pray. The course is set, the decision has been made. The humanly available resources are not enough. What else can we do but ask God, who we know is good and just to provide for us. But when that providence does not come, then we have a choice. We can give up, or continue in prayer. The church decided to continue and unknown to them, as they prayed there was a heavenly commando mission happening at the prison.
Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying "Arise quickly!" and his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me." So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. and when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectations of the Jewish people." (Acts 12:7-11)
Now, I am especially encouraged when I hear the rest of this story.
So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. and as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel." Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren." And he departed and went to another place. (Acts 12:12-17)
The reason that I am encouraged is because even these heroic Christians of Acts, while they prayed for Peter, doubted in their hearts that God would answer their prayer. They struggled just as much as us, to continue interceding on his behalf. They wrestled with sleep and boredom too as they kept their all-night vigil, disbelieving even though the answer to their prayer was standing outside. So why did they continue their fervent, extended prayer even though they doubted? Because of their love. Even though your faith is weak, let your love be strong. Let us join together in fervent extended prayer for our church.
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