Praying In CommunityNäide

(Don’t) Be Surprised

In Acts 12, we read a remarkable story of Peter’s miraculous release from prison. The story itself is captivating, and we are struck by the power of God.

When Peter has escaped and arrived at the house where the other followers of Jesus were waiting, we learn something that sheds new light on the story: “He went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.”

This jaw dropping story came in response to the very thing we’ve been considering in these devotions: praying in community! Peter experienced a deliverance he must have thought impossible, and once it was over, he discovered that it came in response to the community prayers of his brothers and sisters.

The humorous part of the story, however, comes when Peter shows up at the house. The very people who have been praying together for his miraculous release are so shocked to see that their prayers have been answered that they disbelieve the messenger! 

There is an element to our prayer lives where we hardly dare believe our prayers could be answered. We steel ourselves against the possibility that we may not get what we passionately request. Yet when we join together to pray as God designed, we will be surprised at what God does. Should we be surprised when God does what he promises to do? That’s mostly beside the point. Our task it to simply follow God’s design in prayer, and then to allow ourselves to be surprised (or not) as God works powerfully through our community prayers. 

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Note: For a helpful platform that can help facilitate partnership in prayer in community, check out the Echo Prayer app .