Acts 12:7-14: a reflection

7And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Stand up quickly!” His chains fell off his hands. 8The angel said to him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” He did so. He said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.” 9And he went out and followed him. He didn’t know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he saw a vision. 10When they were past the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. 11When Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I truly know that the Lord has sent out his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from everything the Jewish people were expecting.” 12Thinking about that, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13When Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14When she recognized Peter’s voice, she didn’t open the gate for joy, but ran in and reported that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

As the church prays for the imprisoned Peter, God delivers him in a way beyond what any of them expected, so that even those praying could scarcely believe the answer had come. An angel of the Lord stood by Peter, the account says; his chains fell off, and he was led out past the guards and through the iron gate, which opened by itself. Meanwhile, the church was gathered, praying for him; yet when Peter came and knocked, and the girl reported he was at the door, they could hardly believe it. God delivered Peter in answer to the church's prayer, but in a way so far beyond their expecting that even they, who were praying, were astonished when the answer came. This shows that God delivers in answer to prayer, often beyond what we dared to expect. God delivers in answer to prayer, often beyond what we dared expect. God's answer can exceed even the faith of those who pray. Keep praying, even when the answer seems beyond hope. God can do more than we dared to ask or expect.

Notice the surprise of this deliverance. The church was gathered, earnestly praying for Peter, imprisoned and in danger. And God answered: an angel came, Peter's chains fell off, the guards were passed, the iron gate opened of itself, and Peter walked free. Yet here is the striking thing: when Peter came and knocked, and the servant girl announced he was at the door, those who had been praying could hardly believe it; they thought it must be something else. God's answer had come, but in a way so far beyond what they expected that even they, the ones praying, were astonished. This holds an encouragement about prayer. Sometimes we pray for things that seem beyond hope, hardly daring to believe they could happen; we pray, but almost without expecting the answer. Yet God is able to answer prayer in ways that exceed our expectations, doing more than we dared to ask or hope, so that we ourselves are surprised when the answer comes. Our small expectations do not limit God; he can deliver beyond what we dared to expect. This encourages us to keep praying, even for what seems beyond hope, trusting that God can answer beyond our expecting. We do well to keep praying, even when the answer seems beyond hope, trusting that God can deliver beyond what we dared to expect. Keep praying, even when the answer seems beyond hope. God can answer beyond what you dared to ask or expect. Your small expectations do not limit what God can do. God delivered Peter beyond even the faith of those praying; he can surprise you too.

That is worth taking to heart, for God delivers in answer to prayer, often beyond what we dared to expect, as he delivered Peter while the astonished church prayed. We can pray almost without expecting an answer, for what seems beyond hope; but God delivered Peter so far beyond their expecting that even those praying could hardly believe it. God can exceed our expectations. Keep praying, even for what seems beyond hope; your small expectations do not limit God, who can deliver beyond what you dared to expect. Keep praying, even when the answer seems beyond hope, trusting that God can deliver beyond what you dared to expect, as when the church prayed for the imprisoned Peter God delivered him in a way beyond what any of them expected, so that even those praying could scarcely believe the answer had come, an angel standing by Peter and his chains falling off as he was led out past the guards and through the iron gate which opened by itself, while the church, gathered and praying, could hardly believe it when Peter came and knocked and the girl reported he was at the door; for God delivered Peter in answer to the church's prayer but in a way so far beyond their expecting that even they were astonished when the answer came, which holds an encouragement about prayer, since sometimes we pray for things that seem beyond hope, hardly daring to believe they could happen, praying but almost without expecting the answer, yet God is able to answer prayer in ways that exceed our expectations, doing more than we dared to ask or hope so that we ourselves are surprised when the answer comes, our small expectations not limiting God who can deliver beyond what we dared to expect, which encourages us to keep praying even for what seems beyond hope and to trust that God can answer beyond our expecting, so that we do well to keep praying.

Lord, as the church prays for the imprisoned Peter, you deliver him in a way beyond what any of them expected, so that even those praying could scarcely believe the answer had come. An angel of the Lord stood by Peter, the account says; his chains fell off, and he was led out past the guards and through the iron gate, which opened by itself. Meanwhile, the church was gathered, praying for him; yet when Peter came and knocked, and the girl reported he was at the door, they could hardly believe it. You delivered Peter in answer to the church's prayer, but in a way so far beyond their expecting that even they, who were praying, were astonished when the answer came. Show me the surprise of this deliverance. The church was gathered, earnestly praying for Peter, imprisoned and in danger. And you answered: an angel came, his chains fell off, the guards were passed, the iron gate opened of itself, and Peter walked free. Yet here is the striking thing: when Peter came and knocked, those who had been praying could hardly believe it. Your answer had come, but in a way so far beyond what they expected that even they, the ones praying, were astonished. This holds an encouragement about prayer. Sometimes I pray for things that seem beyond hope, hardly daring to believe they could happen; I pray, but almost without expecting the answer. Yet you are able to answer prayer in ways that exceed my expectations, doing more than I dared to ask or hope. My small expectations do not limit you; you can deliver beyond what I dared to expect. Take that to my heart. Help me keep praying, Lord, even when the answer seems beyond hope, trusting that you can deliver beyond what I dared to expect, as you delivered Peter beyond even the faith of those praying, and that my small expectations do not limit what you can do.