Praying without Ceasing | Too Good to be True

The intercession for Peter when He was about to be sentenced to death by Herod in Acts 12 is by far one of my best prayer motivation! The church was under persecution! James the Apostle had just been killed. Peter was imprisoned, next to be killed; but —

Constant prayer was offered to God (without ceasing) for him by the church.

‭Emphasis on ‘without ceasing.’ Now, a series of miracles happened in verses 6-9;

The very night before Herod was about to bring him forth, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared [standing beside him], and a light shone in the place where he was. And the angel gently smote Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, Get up quickly! And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, Tighten your belt and bind on your sandals. And he did so. And he said to him, Wrap your outer garment around you and follow me. And [Peter] went out [along] following him, and he was not conscious that what was apparently being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

It was too good to be true! Peter thought it was a vision.

Verses 10-11; When they had passed through the first guard and the second, they came to the iron gate which leads into the city. Of its own accord [the gate] swung open, and they went out and passed on through one street; and at once the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, Now I really know and am sure that the Lord has sent His angel and delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting [to do to me].

The fact that the chains just fell by their own accord — and the gates as well; speaks of the power the prayer availed! Guys this isn’t fiction! Imagine padlocks clicking without keys, but by your prayer! The prayer was a form of keys, unlocking these materialized bondages. Even Peter found it hard to believe, as I still am!

Later when Peter was in the city, he went to John’s house — where Mary, Jesus’ mother stayed. There the assembly was still gathered. A Rhoda heard a knock on the door. She recognized Peter’s voice, and it was too good to be true!

‘He’s supposed to be in prison!’ She must have thought…

Verses 14-15; And recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she failed to open the gate, but ran in and told the people that Peter was standing before the porch gate. They said to her, You are crazy! But she persistently and strongly and confidently affirmed that it was the truth. They said, It is his angel!

Haha! Isn’t it funny, that most of us pray, and the prayer delivers, but it all seems too easy! We continue to ‘war in the spirit’ and tarry, and shunder, and uproot, and cast down but the answer already is! You already provoked results. No need to swing swords anymore… I remember Daniel praying and the angel telling him the answer was released 3 weeks prior the day he began petitioning.

O the power of prayer!

Acts 12:16 But meanwhile Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the gate and saw him, they were amazed.

Prayer works friends! In the midst of 2 or 3 that are gathered in His name, God will be. Indeed the continued effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much power, dynamic in its working. (James 5:16) This emphasizes the continuity of this sacrament. Remember constant prayer was made for him by the church.

This reminds me of another too-good-to-be-true-story. Daniel had won the king’s trust in Daniel 6, but the king had been tricked to punish anyone who didn’t worship his statue.

When his favorite was thrown in the den, he said, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” Saying this, Darius the king needed to prove them so;

Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him.

The Amplified version indicates that it is not written what this above portion meant. But it seems to me that the king himself prayed to a God he didn’t know. This he did all night for Daniel. He had hope in a One he never knew.

Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

The lamenting voice not only proved his regret, but the possibility that Daniel was already dead!

Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.” Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.

The gladness here must be underrated! The news of someone being alive and yet you expected the worst is something else!

Reminds me of a time I missed an exam and I prayed. In 2022, when the results I checked, I had not only got an A, but I’d been the best in the whole class! For an exam I didn’t sit for! I don’t know whether the lecturer marked the scripts, or only considered the group coursework! It’s all unclear! You’d say favoritism or bribery! But the lecturer taught by email all semester. She didn’t know any of our faces!

It’s a story I can only attribute to God and God alone!

May you know, O reader, that your prayers produce results — results that are too good to be true! Keep praying! Keep interceding! The answers will be exceedingly abundantly above all you asked or thought! Be encouraged! Don’t give up! The miraculous is seconds away. You’ll see chains fall off! Gates will swing open! All by themselves! The captives will be set free! It will be marvelous in your eyes! And God shall be praised!

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Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them [to this end], that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;