In Acts 12 the apostle Peter is in prison, waiting trial and certain execution. So “…the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” When you need a miracle, you pray. When you need a financial miracle, you pray. When you need a miracle in your marriage, you pray. When you need a miracle of healing (for yourself or someone else) you pray. When it seems impossible for a loved one to surrender their lives to Jesus, you pray.
Because the church prayed, God sent an angel to miraculously deliver Peter from his prison cell (v.7). Could it be that your miracle is just a prayer away? James 4:2 says “You do not have because you do not ask God.” Do you need a miracle right now? Have you prayed for one? Maybe you need to remind yourself right now of Luke 1:37 which says “With God, all things are possible.”
And I want to encourage you to pray for a miracle, even if you don’t have the faith to believe God will do it. You see, sometimes God answers our prayers in response to our faith, and other times He answers our prayers, simply because we prayed. This was the case for the church in Acts 12. When Peter was rescued from prison he showed up at the house where people were praying for his release. When the servant girl Rhoda announced to everyone that Peter was at the door they replied “You’re out of your mind!” (v.15). When the girl kept insisting, they finally opened the door and “…they were astonished” (v.16). You see, though they were praying, they didn’t really believe anything would happen. Maybe that’s how you feel right now? But God honored their obedience to pray, even when their faith was lacking. So don’t make prayer all about YOUR faith, make it about GOD’S power.
In the early church, when they needed a miracle, they prayed for one. Why not do as they did, so you can experience what they experienced!