“But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.”
Acts 12:5 (NLT)
Acts 12 opens with darkness—Herod is persecuting the believers, James is killed, and Peter is arrested during Passover. Herod stacks the odds with guards and chains because he wants a public trial of Peter. This reeks of men guided by Satan, by evil desires—not men led by God. We’re seeing strategies of the devil right here at the beginning of Acts 12.
But Acts 12:5 shows the church’s response: “the church prayed very earnestly for him.” They don’t just pray something; they keep praying it. And they don’t just pray individually; they pray as a group. This isn’t simply patience while they wait on God to move—this is intercession during the waiting.
That kind of praying reminds me of what happens in Acts 1:14 and Acts 2:1—the believers gathered together in prayer constantly, in unison, with one heart and one mind. They were interceding, I think. They were praying for the Spirit to come. And He did—He showed up at Pentecost. The Spirit was poured out after believers interceded.
And that’s where spiritual warfare comes in. Paul says in Ephesians 6:11 to put on all of God’s armor so we can stand firm against all strategies of the devil. Then he closes the armor in verse 18 with the instruction to constantly be alert for opportunities to pray in the Spirit for all believers everywhere. So today I’m challenged to pray very earnestly when a need arises with a fellow believer—not just for ten seconds or a minute, but to pray by the Spirit placed in me through relationship with Jesus. I want to take one small step: pray longer than I normally would, with more passion than I normally would, and believe my prayer is effective. Because we serve a God who hears our prayers—and also answers them.