Acts 12:10 They (Peter & the Angel of the Lord) passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it.
God’s ways of delivering His people from danger are mysterious. King Herod had arrested James, the apostle, and martyred him. He saw that it pleased the Jews when he tortured the apostles so he arrested Peter. The church prayed for Peter to be released from prison, unharmed. They would have prayed for favour and mercy. They would have pleaded for God to overturn Herod’s vicious plans, however, the Lord answered their prayers mysteriously. When the church had gathered for an ‘all night prayer’ for Peter, an angel of the Lord entered the high-surveillance prison. He went past the iron gates into the intensive security detention where Peter was guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance (vs 6).
The angel struck Peter on the side and the chains from his hands broke like paper ties. There was light in the prison but the squads of 16 soldiers (4 squads x 4 soldiers) fell into a deep coma. They knew nothing that was happening around them. The angel got Peter to dress up. Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” (vs 8). The 16 armed high security squadrons were like dead men on the floor while Peter got dressed and walked out of the prison. The Lord God knocked them out and performed a mindboggling miracle to save Peter from danger and death.
God’s ways of protecting and delivering His children are mysterious.
The Mysterious of God:
1. Impossible: The church was praying for all the possibilities that their mind can think of but the Lord showed them that He is the God of impossibilities. When Peter was at the door the all night prayer group could not believe that God could send an angel through the iron doors of the Roman prison and rescue Peter. The servant girl Rhoda said, “Peter is at the door!” “You’re out of your mind,” they told her (vs 14b-15a). God is a specialist in impossibilities!
2. Impassable: Roman prisons were dark, cramped, unsanitary, and lacked adequate food or medical care. So those who went into the Roman prison seldom returned back alive! The angel passed through the impassable iron doors and delivered Peter. The same God who got through the Roman prison for Peter will go into the closed iron doors of the board-room/court-room and fight for us.
3. Incredible: His ways are incredible; beyond imagination and human calculation.
The Lord’s ways to deliver His children are incredible and mysterious.
Hebrews 11:33 Oh, the depth of riches, both of wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and untraceable His ways!
Prayer: Incredible Saviour, You are my refuge and my stronghold. Your judgments are unsearchable and your ways are untraceable. Amen.
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