When Weakness Is the Strategy
Let’s bring our smallness to the resources of our mighty Savior. In Him, our weakness is no obstacle at all.
“So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church” (Acts 12:5).
Peter was locked up…but the church prayed. That contrast is everything. Herod had the political power, the military might, and the momentum. He had already executed James, and now Peter was behind bars—guarded, shackled, watched. On paper, there was no earthly reason to expect a different outcome. What could possibly break through Herod’s grip?
If this were a Hollywood script, the next line might read: So Peter was kept in prison, but a band of rebels broke him out. That’s the kind of power we expect—force for force, strength for strength. But God doesn't follow the scripts we write. Luke tells us something far more glorious: Peter was kept in prison, but the church prayed.
According to earthly standards, it is not very powerful or impressive. But the church prayed, and God moved. Why? Because in the Kingdom of Jesus, disadvantage is the strategy. God doesn’t need our muscle—He delights to move through weakness. That’s not just poetic; that’s how the Kingdom works. It’s how He gets the glory.
So Luke doesn’t contrast chains and prayer to highlight how epic the church is. He’s showing off how glorious Jesus is. The same Jesus who shattered the tomb rolled back the iron bars for Peter—not because the people praying were amazing, but because He is. That’s our confidence today. We are not big enough to bulldoze through every barrier, but Christ is alive, and His power flows downhill to the weak, the ordinary, and the praying.
Let’s bring your smallness to the resources of our mighty Savior. In Him, our weakness is no obstacle at all.