We are about as far away from the pantomime season as one can get. But in our reading from Acts 12 when Peter is brought out of prison, there is in effect a piece of pantomime dialogue. Peter goes to the house of Mary. Rhoda recognised Peter's voice and was so excited she left him standing outside (Peter had less trouble getting out of prison than getting into Mary's house).
"Peter's outside"
"Oh no, he isn't"
"Oh yes, he is"
She kept insisting he really was there. They said she was nuts and then concluded it was his guardian angel or spirit counterpart, capable of assuming a person's appearance and being mistaken for him.
Why did they think it could not possibly be Peter? The traditional answer is that they lacked faith that their prayers could ne answered. (verses 5 and 12 say they were praying for Peter).
Some say they were not praying for Peter's release but that he would die bravely and not renounce his faith. James the brother of John, had already been executed by Herod Agrippa I, a nasty piece of work who tried to suck up to the Jews. Executing James had proved popular, so Herod decided on a repeat performance with Peter, waiting till the Festival of Unleavened Bread was over. If that theory is correct the church cannot be blamed for not expecting his release. But one can also say that we must be prepared for God to answer our prayers in unexpected ways, perhaps giving us more than we can imagine possible. God in his generosity can give more than expected. "He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" Ephesians 3.20.
If they were praying for his release and were amazed when God actually answered their prayers, who are we to criticise? Do we really pray in faith or do we pray just in case it might work. It might do some good, it won't do any harm. Are we then pleasantly surprised when our prayers are answered.
In fact our story from Acts 12 does show the power of prayer. Not many of you may have heard of Geoffrey Bull. Probably the most prayed for person in the early l950s. He had worshipped at the Open Brethren assembly at Woodcroft Hall in Burnt Oak, quite near to where my wife grew up. Patrick Plunkett also worshipped there for a time. Geoffrey Bull went to be a missionary in Tibet and was made a political prisoner by the Chinese when they invaded Tibet in l950. For 31/4 years Geoffrey Bull was subject to harsh treatment and severe brain washing.
He stood firm in the face of tremendous pressure and never renounced his faith. He was upheld by the prayers of many. As he put in the preface to his book "When Iron Gates Yield" a title chosen in conscious imitation of Acts 12.10. "for several years all over the world, Christians have been praying for me. News has come from all five continents of the unceasing intercession made of the Church for my release. In ever increasing volume, the believing prayers of countless thousands have ascended to the Throne of God.
That today, in soundness of mind and body and preserved in faith, I am found once again in freedom, is due solely to God's grace, achieving the impossible, in answer to the cry of His people."
In James 5.16 we read "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective". The prayer of a righteous woman is equally effective! We must never underestimate the power of prayer or what God can do. The deliverance of Peter (and Geoffrey Bull) was evidence of the grace and power of God. Luke in chapter 12 of Acts saw God's hand controlling the events (versus 7, 11 and 17)
But being a Christian is no guarantee of an easy ride. As one of my Crusader leaders put it in an off moment "The Christian life is not all beer and skittles". Being a Christian does not make us immune from opposition n or suffering. In the first Century A.D. becoming a Christian was positively to invite persecution. In may parts of the world that is still true today and Christians suffer grievously for their faith, like a man in Somalia who was shot b y relatives for becoming a Christian and refusing to return to Islam.
In Britain things are not that bad yet. But Christianity is increasingly marginalised, despised and ridiculed. We must pray and keep on praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are going through the fires of persecution.
But opposition and difficulties can be of great benefit to believers. It encourages dependence on God. The Church in Peter's day and in many places today, against the apparatus of a powerful state, can employ the only weapon at their disposal - prayer. A sense of desperation can give a passionate commitment to prayer and reliance on God. When Paul asked God to remove his thorn in the flesh the answer was not a straight 'no' but 'no but'. "My grace is sufficient for you. May we find that true in our lives as well.
Tony Waters
| 