The Book of Acts: Turn Your World Upside DownSample

Today’s Devotional:

“So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.”

In a modest house, a group of believers gathered, praying desperately for their leader, who had just been arrested. These were violent times for the early Church. Many followers of Jesus were being hunted down, persecuted, and even killed. Most of us never have and will never know the terror these believers lived with daily.

For the days leading up to Peter's scheduled execution, they gathered and earnestly prayed while he waited behind locked gates and ready swords of the prison guards. The word “earnest” holds the idea of someone literally stretching out all they can for something. It’s a medical term to describe stretching a muscle to its limits. Luke, the author of Acts, used the same word in his Gospel book to describe Jesus’ anguish as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, sweating great drops of blood.

I don’t know about you, but stretching isn’t something I enjoy doing. It’s uncomfortable, even painful, but health experts will tell you that the benefits far outweigh the burn. Like stretching, His type of serious-minded and dedicated prayer isn’t easy. It takes focus, intentionality, and commitment.

In Luke 18:1, Jesus told His disciples a series of parables “that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” The early Church practiced this well. Even in the face of uncertain outcomes, they persisted.

There’s much we can learn from them, but three areas, in particular, stand out to me:

1. Stay Connected

Acts 2:42 tells us that when the Church was birthed, they “devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.”

Peter may have been behind bars, but no prison gate could hold in the prayers of the Church. They had seen firsthand what happened when people came together in prayer because of the example set by the apostles. They knew anything was possible when they were all united in prayer.

2. Pray in Faith

In Matthew 17:20, Jesus tells His disciples that anything is possible if they only have the faith of a mustard seed. Based on the horror these believers had already experienced with the death of James, their faith was likely as tiny as that mustard seed at this point! But by combining what little faith with their earnest prayers, they were about to experience a miracle!

3. Don’t Miss the Answer

They were so caught up in deep prayer that they almost missed the answer to their prayer! When Peter showed up, they were caught by surprise. The answer didn’t come the way they expected. But a young girl recognized him, and God used her to deliver the joyful news. God uses all generations to build and grow His Church!

When the first church gathered and prayed in faith, two things happened: Prayer opened the prison gates for Peter, freeing him to continue and complete his calling. Prayer allowed a new generation to witness its power firsthand, freeing them to testify boldly of God’s faithfulness. Earnest prayer isn’t cheap—it will cost us. But the price is worth it when we’re fighting for someone's freedom.

“Do not work so hard for Christ that you have no strength to pray, for prayer requires strength.” -Hudson Taylor

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Today’s devotional was written by Pastor Bethany Kush.

Questions to Consider:

• What would it look like for you to stretch beyond what is comfortable in your prayer life?
• How have you experienced the power of prayer in your life?

Prayer:

God, thank you for the power of prayer. Help me to stay connected, pray in faith, and not miss the answer. In Jesus’ name, amen.