I
have a simple message for you for this Sunday.
I
intend to talk on the prayer of a church at Jerusalem narrated in Acts 12.
I
call it ‘a prayer without a motivation’.
Why
I call it like that? Because the church was praying though fervently without
any expectation of a miraculous answer.
Still
that was a great prayer that destroyed the might of the enemy.
We
read the narration of this prayer and other related events in Acts 12.
The
incident took place 10 years after resurrection of Jesus.
King
Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great, was ruling the area of Judea.
Herod
the Great, the grandfather, ruled in the days of Jesus' birth.
Herod
Agrippa I was also the nephew of Herod Antipas, who had a role in the trial of Jesus.
King
Herod I was a proselyte, a gentile converted to Judaism.
He
respected and followed the Mosaic Laws.
Ever
since the conversion of Paul, persecution of saints came down.
The
church was growing and spreading rapidly.
The church has been experiencing many
exciting conversions, one after another.
Then happened the heavy blow on them.
Influenced
by Pharisees and Sadducees among the Jewish leadership, Herod decides to arrest
some of the apostolic leaders.
We
are not told explicitly why Herod intends to persecute them.
Herod
Agrippa I was not as cruel as some of his family members were.
But
popularity was his ruling passion.
So
he arrested and killed James by sword.
As
he found that this pleased the Jewish religious leaders and people, he arrested
Peter and kept him in prison with the intention of murdering him.
This is a new development in the
history of the church.
James, the son of Zebedee and the
brother of John, is the first of the twelve who followed Jesus to be martyred.
James is certainly not the first Christian
to die in faithfulness to Jesus.
The
martyrdom of James was a heavy blow to the church.
Ten
years after Jesus' resurrection, one of the twelve apostles has been removed
from the scene.
This
was a grievous loss to the Church.
The Church looked up to him with a reverence and
affection which, even their enemies would come to hear of.
He
was one of the three whom the Lord admitted to His closest intimacy.
The death of James shattered the
illusion that somehow, the twelve enjoyed a unique Divine protection.
James in particular, might have
thought to have been "protected."
He was one of the special intimates
of Jesus, often mentioned with his brother John and with Peter.
But let us remember that Jesus
promised no special protection for even His closest followers.
All
Luke tells us about the incident is that the beheading of James pleased the Jewish
leaders and people.
In Jewish law death by the sword was the penalty
for murder or apostasy.
It
was an ignominious mode of punishment, according to the Jews.
To
make matters worse Herod seems bent on a systematic dismemberment of the
movement.
And
flushed with his first success, he next arrested Peter.
He
placed Peter in prison under a secure guard.
It
was the time of the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread, which immediately
followed Passover.
Herod
was a strict observer of the Law and festivals.
He
wanted to avoid the possible uproar of people against murder during the festival
time.
So
Herod kept Peter in prison.
Peter
was chained while he was in the prison.
And
at night he was sleeping.
What
gave him sleep in such a situation is not stated in the Bible.
Here
Luke skillfully juxtaposes the power of the state and the power of the church.
The
power of the state imprisoned Peter and intended to kill him; the power of the
church went to action by earnestly praying to God for him.
In
continuous, fervent, united prayer, the church intercedes for Peter.
Prayer
is the only weapon the church had, and it is more than enough.
Luke
presents prayer as "the natural atmosphere of God's people and the normal
context for divine activity"
Peter
in the prison was expecting a stingless death soon.
We
are not sure whether he was expecting a miraculous escape.
Since
his co worker James was executed the other day, Peter also would have been
expecting a same fate.
Still
he gave his life unto the hand of his Lord and slept peacefully.
By
his sleep Peter models a deep trust in God's sovereignty.
We
have no evidence to argue that Peter was full of hope for a miraculous escape.
After
some time we see an angel from the Lord coming into the prison and asking Peter
to wake up and walk out of the prison.
But
Peter did not take it as real; he thought he was dreaming.
Luke
relates Peter's evaluation of his experience.
Though
awake enough to obey the orders of the angel, he does not think what he is
experiencing is real.
He
thinks he is seeing a vision.
A
street away from the prison and alone, the angel having withdrawn, Peter comes
to himself - that is, to a correct interpretation of what has just happened.
He
affirms the reality, the source, the result and, by inference, the purpose of
the rescue (12:11).
Peter
knows that the escape has happened "in truth".
The
Lord has the same power to rescue now as he did when he delivered Israel from
Egypt.
That
means, Peter in the prison was not hopeful of an escape.
He
might not have been desperate but peaceful.
He
expected death; he was sleeping by trusting his soul into the hands of his
Lord.
Still
God rescued him. That is important.
No
motivation from the part of Peter, no faith in a miracle, no hope of escape did
work for him.
It
is God’s grace and power that rescued Peter.
It
is simple because in the plan of God, Peter had a longer duty to perform.
We
can surmise no other reason.
Any
martyrdom is still a mark of God's sovereignty, not a sign of his weakness.
Martyrdom
is His gracious purpose for us; not that he does not love us.
Any
rescue is a sign of the triumphant advance and a mark that nothing can thwart
the accomplishment of his purposes.
Since
the arrest of Peter, may be for the seven days of Unleavened Feast, the church
had been praying.
Thus
long were the disciples kept waiting; their prayers apparently unavailing.
Their
faith, as would seem from the sequel, waxing feeble.
They
too lost all hope in a miraculous escape.
This
is not the first time the church prayed for the rescue of a saint.
They
were a faithful church; that is why they came together to pray for seven days
even in the face of persecution.
They
came together to pray for Peter, aware of the situation that the soldiers of
the King may arrest and kill them.
Still
they came together and fervently prayed for such a long time, even during the
night for the imprisoned saint.
That
means they were praying for James also.
They
prayed for James as he was arrested and put in the prison.
They
prayed with hope, expectation and faith, since they believed in a miraculous
protection over the intimate disciple of Jesus.
But
their prayer was not answered; James was killed.
Their
faith shattered; their hope gone.
They
had no words to explain God’s mysterious ways.
They
felt defeated and abandoned.
They
lost all motivation to pray.
They
could not expecte an escape for Peter.
Still
they prayed for Peter.
They
prayed without any motivation.
Why
I say that they prayed without any motivation?
The
motivation they should have possessed is the rescue of Peter from death.
But
they hoped no such miracle.
After
the angel left Peter, he preceded to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark.
It
was probably the gathering place of the house church to which Peter belonged.
At
the moment fervent prayer for Peter was going on.
They
were praying even during the night.
Peter
went to the house and knocked at the closed door.
A
maidservant named Rhoda was supposed to answer any knock on the door during the
night.
When
she came to answer the door, she understood that it was Peter.
So
overcome with joy at the voice of Peter that she left him standing there and
rushed without opening the door to announce his arrival to the praying church.
But
the church did not accept her report.
They
could not believe that Peter is rescued and had come to their house.
They
were not expecting the miracle.
They
were praying with no motivation, no hope of a rescue.
While
the church members argue over the truthfulness of her report, Peter is left
knocking and calling at the door.
The very answer to their prayers is knocking, and they do not
believe it!
They
declare Rhoda crazy.
When
she sticks to her story, they conclude that it was Peter's guardian angel.
According
to their Jewish tradition the guardian angel of a person would take on his
attributes.
They
were telling that the guardian angel in the shape of Peter has arrived either
to announce Peter's death.
Even while they are praying for Peter, they find
it hard to believe God actually answered their prayer.
Their prayer was earnest, but their
faith was not overwhelming.
Their prayer had no motivation.
Conclusion
What
shall we surmise?
I
do not want to come to a conclusion that God will answer your hopeless prayers.
Faith
and hope are two important elements of a successful Christian life.
But
a formula of any kind is not a final way to release a miracle in your life.
This
church was praying even when there was no motivation to pray.
They
were distressed and hopeless.
They
did not expect any miracle.
Still
they knew one thing – they should pray.
Prayer
is their duty and responsibility.
Prayer
is not presenting a shipping list to our God.
Prayer
is a communion with God.
Remember,
God came every evening to visit Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, not to
accept a list of demands from them.
God
came to them for a sweet communion with them.
Prayer
is a communion with God where we pour out our heart, not only its joy but also
its despair and hopelessness.
Prayer
is life breath to a believer.
As
long as he lives in this world, he cannot but pray.
The
church at Jerusalem knew it and so even without any hope for a miracle, they
went to their Lord and poured out their heart.
God
received it and acted accordingly.
The
rescue was completed, God’s Word spread around and the church grew.
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