Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Praying People Out of Prison

Acts 12:1-19 tells the story of some of the apostles and what happened to James (verse 2). What do you think motivated Herod to arrest Peter (verse 3)? Pleasing people and perhaps popularity. Now Peter was in a very bad situation--he was facing execution. BUT according to verse 5, what was the church doing? They were praying earnestly for him!

Do you know of someone who is praying for you? Who is it and how does it make you feel?

Why do you think the disciples were so surprised to find Peter knocking at the door? Was it unbelief? Was it because of weak faith?

Do you believe God can do just as great things today as He did for Peter?

You and I may know a person who is in a real prison today. But all of us know people who are in other kinds of prisons. For example, some people are in the prison of drug or alcohol addiction. Other people are in a prison of emotional pain because of something that happened in their past. Still others are in a prison of physical suffering.

Remember, James 4:2 says: “You do not have, because you do not ask God.” Let’s pray in faith today that God will set the prisoners free. Let’s believe that people’s lives will be dramatically changed because we are praying.

Pray: For someone whom you is “in prison.” Pray that God will begin breaking him out of his prison today!

Go: In His teaching about the final Judgment, Jesus said He was pleased with believers who go out of their way to visit people in prison. As we have talked and prayed about setting captives free, has God reminded you of someone you should visit this week? Make time to go to that person. Encourage and pray with him.

1 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. Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.
- Acts 12:1-19 (NIV)

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
- Matthew 25:34-40 (NIV)

1 comment:

  1. God always does great things for those who follow His ways. I know I am in no way perfect. In fact I tend to backslide a bit at times. It doesn't happen as often and I take it to God as soon as I realise what I have done. I have never been in prison but have been in jail a couple times or so, each time was for stupidity on my part. I have had several parts of my life that each were similar to a prison and God has lifted me up and out of each situation.

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