Giving Bold Testimony
God Releases the Captive
Acts 12:12-19 The Message
12-14 Still shaking his head, amazed, he went to Mary’s house, the Mary who was John Mark’s mother. The house was packed with praying friends. When he knocked on the door to the courtyard, a young woman named Rhoda came to see who it was. But when she recognized his voice—Peter’s voice!—she was so excited and eager to tell everyone Peter was there that she forgot to open the door and left him standing in the street.15-16 But they wouldn’t believe her, dismissing her, dismissing her report. “You’re crazy,” they said. She stuck by her story, insisting. They still wouldn’t believe her and said, “It must be his angel.” All this time poor Peter was standing out in the street, knocking away.
16-17 Finally they opened up and saw him—and went wild! Peter put his hands up and calmed them down. He described how the Master had gotten him out of jail, then said, “Tell James and the brothers what’s happened.” He left them and went off to another place.
18-19 At daybreak the jail was in an uproar. “Where is Peter? What’s happened to Peter?” When Herod sent for him and they could neither produce him nor explain why not, he ordered their execution: “Off with their heads!” Fed up with Judea and Jews, he went for a vacation to Caesarea.
The
whole congregation prayed for Peter. However, the congregation in
those days did not expect God to change God's mind or do something for
Peter because the congregation prayed for it.
This brings up a question which I have heard often. "If God already knows everything before we know anything, what is the point of prayer?"
The New International Lesson Annual author of this Sunday's lesson explains it like this:
1. We pray because it is the only way we can express our intimate relationship to God.
2. We pray because our greatest concern is God (or should be). So when we place our concerns at God's feet we lessen the risk that we are tempted to handle our concerns ourselves.
Prayer, the author writes, is an expression of our love of God and our thankfulness for the gift God has given us, the love for our neighbors. The Church prayed for Peter not because they expected God would change Peter's outcome, but because they wanted to lift God above all gods.
Pray
This brings up a question which I have heard often. "If God already knows everything before we know anything, what is the point of prayer?"
The New International Lesson Annual author of this Sunday's lesson explains it like this:
1. We pray because it is the only way we can express our intimate relationship to God.
2. We pray because our greatest concern is God (or should be). So when we place our concerns at God's feet we lessen the risk that we are tempted to handle our concerns ourselves.
Prayer, the author writes, is an expression of our love of God and our thankfulness for the gift God has given us, the love for our neighbors. The Church prayed for Peter not because they expected God would change Peter's outcome, but because they wanted to lift God above all gods.
Pray
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