“And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying” (Acts 12:12).
TEXT — Acts 12:12-19
A preacher was diagnosed with a rare cancer. Afraid to tell the church and scared he had a few months to live, he prayed fervently to God for healing. Two weeks later, he returned to the doctor for a check, and they were both surprised. The cancer was gone! The preacher said he just prayed and that he never believed God would answer his prayer in that manner. God still surprises people today with incredible answers to prayers.
The early Church faced intense persecution. Herod Agrippa I murdered Apostle James and intended to kill Peter. Feeling threatened, the Church resorted to marathon prayer for Peter while in prison. God’s angel delivered Peter at the last moment despite the maximum security to prevent his escape. After his release, Peter went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many believers were praying. Surprisingly, the news of Peter’s release sounded incredible to the intercessors inside the house. Though the Church prayed for Peter’s release from prison, they were thrown off balance when the answer came.
The narrative teaches us that prayer should not be a last resort but the first response to every challenge in our lives and the church. Prayer must be used as a sustained rapid response mechanism to life emergencies. God answers to our prayers, in terms of scope, timing, and how it is achieved, can surprise us as it did the believers in today’s text.
Peter’s actions after his release are also very instructive. He hushed the jubilant believers and did not stay in Mary’s house but went to an undisclosed location. He didn’t want to attract undue attention or put other believers at risk. Given that Herod was so mad at Peter’s escape from custody, killing the guards and having to leave town to cool off his humiliation, it would be unwise for Peter to go about bragging in the name of unwise testimony and risking a re-arrest. Wisdom is indeed profitable to direct.
Thought for the day
Astounding testimony of sensitive answered prayers must be shared with wisdom.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
