Pray Believing

Pray believing

"Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church." Acts 12:5

When Peter faced this imprisonment, his brothers and sisters in Christ came together in fervent prayer.

When Peter realized he had been freed by an angel of the Lord he headed straight to the house where they were gathered for a prayer vigil on his behalf.

"And when Peter had come to himself, he said, 'Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.' So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying." Acts 12:11-12

A girl Rhoda answered the door but upon hearing Peter's voice was so overjoyed she ran to tell the others. In her child-like faith, it appears she believed their prayers were answered but in her youthful exuberance forgot to open the door.

"And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate." Acts 12:13-14

The same could NOT be said of her adult companions. They were there gathered to pray for Peter, but when Peter presented himself at the gate, what was their response? Unbelief. Perhaps God did not answer their prayers as they anticipated. Regardless, they chided the girl.

"But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel."" Acts 12:15

How often do we pray and then completely miss God's answer because it doesn't come in the form we anticipated or desired? Would that not be a response of unbelief? When we pray, let us pray in faith, believing, looking intently for the answer in whatever form God chooses to send it.

Diane Hunt is Director of Addiction Recovery Ministries at America's KESWICK