"Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!” Acts 12:11
A request is only as powerful as the person you make a request to. For example, if a student asks another student for an extension on a homework assignment, that request will only go so far. If, however, the student asks the teacher, the request is more powerful. This does not mean the teacher will say “yes,” but it does mean that the teacher will respond to the request in a way that is in the student’s best interest. It is the same with prayer. Our prayers are as powerful as the One we pray to. Because we pray to God, the Creator of the Universe, we can be confident that our prayers to Him are powerful.
We read about the power of prayer all throughout Scripture. One place where we read powerful prayers is in Acts 12. During this time, the church faced persecution. Peter was in prison, waiting to be placed on trial. While he was in prison, the church prayed. Suddenly that night, while the church prayed, an angel appeared and rescued him from prison, and his chains fell off. Peter then followed the angel straight out of prison. Throughout this entire interaction with the angel, Peter thought he was having a dream. When he finally realized it was not a dream, Peter said, “It’s really true!... The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!” (verse 11). The prayers of the early church were so powerful that they led to Peter’s release from prison.
Make no mistake, our prayers are powerful. Now, this does not mean that God gives us everything that we ask for. He is not a genie in a bottle. After all, some of the things we pray for are actually not in our best interest. It does, however, mean that God hears our prayers and responds according to our good and His glory. We must never stop praying.
What would you pray for if you truly believed that your prayers were powerful? Is there something that you are holding back from praying for because you have doubted prayer’s power? Consider today the story of Peter and the stories you hear today of how prayer has had a great impact. As you remember the power of prayer, pray believing your prayers are powerful and that God is moved by your prayer.
Acts 12:6-11 (NLT)
"The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. 7 Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8 Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered.
9 So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. 10 They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.
11 Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!”
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