Acts 12:5,15 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. (…) “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
This chapter describes Peter being miraculously freed from prison.
It is a time of persecution for the church and when James gets put to death and Peter thrown in prision, the church starts to earnestly pray to God for him. We should not underestimate the power of earnest, corporate prayer. In the book of James we read that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective”. If the prayer of one righteous person is powerful and effective, imagine praying as a group of righteous people. God will listen to the prayers of His people!
Interestingly though, when their prayers are being answered and Peter is miraculously freed from prison, they don’t believe it when he is standing outside of their house, knocking on the door. It takes less effort for Peter to exit the prison’s doors than to enter the doors of the house where the church is praying for him.
Maybe the church did not pray for Peter to be freed from prison – the text does not say – however let’s not be surprised when God not just answers our prayers, but exceeds all of our expectations!
Ephesians 3:20
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.