But The Church Prayed
Good morning Immanuel. Prayer is our opportunity to confess our needs and to depend on the Lord, who makes his power known through our weakness.
“So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.” (Acts 12:5)
Peter was kept in prison. The bars would have been strong enough to restrain any man or beast alike, but the church prayed. As Peter was bound in chains, and the church stood powerless against the rage of king Herod, prayer was the great equalizer. This is the contrast Luke wants to bring to our attention. As earthly power waged war against the church, there was one thing that made them an unstoppable force. It wasn’t their money, their political power, their connections, or their strategies. It was their complete and utter dependence on the risen Jesus! So the church prayed. Prayer, as Spurgeon once wrote, “girds human weakness with divine strength.” And not because prayer itself is power. The Lord is the one we depend on, and he is mighty! Prayer is our opportunity to confess our needs and to depend on the Lord, who delights to make his power known through our weakness. Our strength is the Lord!
Amen!