Acts 12:5 (NIV) So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

During the time when the early Church was growing in numbers, King Herod began arresting Christians with the intent to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, executed by the sword. When he saw that this pleased the people, he arrested Peter, intending to have a mock trial and then executing him as well. But then something miraculous happened when the Church began to pray.

Peter was in prison, sleeping between two soldiers while being bound with two chains. In addition, there were sentries guarding the entrance to the prison. But as the Church prayed, and angel appeared and woke Pete up. He told Peter to get up and when he did, his chains just fell off. The angel then escorted him out of the prison and out of the city, with the city gate opening by itself. After Peter was safely out of the city, the angel left him. It was the best and most perfect prison break ever! After that, Peter made his way to the very house where the people were praying for him. They were praying for a miracle and when their miracle showed up at the door, they initially didn’t believe it. But there he was and it was as a direct result of the church praying for his deliverance.

Prayer is the most powerful and effective thing that we can do because it connects us with the one who is all-powerful! There is no greater or higher power than our God and we have access to Him and to His power through prayer. While you can do spiritual battle by yourself through prayer, there is something extra-special that happens when two or more pray (Matthew 18:19). You would think that God’s people would be knocking down His door in prayer because of what He can and is willing to do when His people pray. That’s why it is so curious that prayer meetings in churches are usually very lightly attended. It’s not that God’s people don’t have problems because they will be the first ones to tell you that they have a lot of issues. Perhaps it’s the fact that they have trouble believing that God will answer. Whatever the case may be, we lose out on seeing God do the miraculous when we don’t gather to pray. Find people who love to pray and who know how to pray. Join them in prayer for impossible situations and you will experience the awesomeness of the way that God answers, just as the believer’s in Peter’s day did.

Pastor Joey Vazquez