Exciting Bible Stories - The Acts of the Apostles - The Angel frees Paul

Yet another great story from the book of the Acts of the Apostles sounds almost like a Monty Python skit.. if it wasn’t a serious story of God’s Work and intercessory prayer. Here is the Great Peter – Arrested. Chained. Guarded. Yet he escapes and the guards go “ Huh? Where did he go? Have you seen him? No! Have you?” Then he shows up at the door of his friends and the woman who greets him runs away and leaves him at the stoop instead of letting him in.

On a serious note, the story shows the power of prayer. Peter’s friends prayed unceasingly. It is significant to note that James – the son of Thunder, had just been beheaded. The disciples expected the same fate for Peter. An Angel of the Lord comes in and rescues him. The bible does not tell us how long Peter was in prison, or how long the disciples prayed. The significance of the story is that there are those who of lesser faith than you who can pray for you and get a miracle. Or You can pray for another (say a priest) who may have greater faith than you and still a miracle can occur. The trick is to pray unceasingly and also to remember that where two or three gather in His name, He is there.

ACTS 12: 1-19

 

12 Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. ² And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword. ³ When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people. ⁵ So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.

⁶ On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. ⁷ And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands. ⁸ And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” ⁹ And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ When they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

¹¹ When Peter came ^]to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” ¹² And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.

¹³ When he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate. ¹⁵ They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, “It is his angel.” ¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed. ¹⁷ But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and the brethren.” Then he left and went to another place.

¹⁸ Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter. ¹⁹ When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and was spending time there.