Door Opening Prayer

Prayer is a discipline that ought to characterize the believer. Too many times in life we allow our circumstances and the situations around us to steal our joy and rob our peace. It seems, at times, that we forget that we serve the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We forget that our God created the heavens and the earth. We forget that His hand sustains all that we are and all that we have. How do I know we forget these things? Because we allow fear and anxiety to rule the day. If we did not forget these things, we would walk in perfect peace.

Acts 12 records a story for us that testifies to the power of prayer. King Herod has continued his persecution of the church. He killed James, the brother of John, and then arrested Peter. In order to make sure that Peter did not manage to escape, Herod assigned four squads of soldiers to guard him. However, the Bible tells us, “Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church” (Acts 12:5).

God responds to the prayer that is offered up on Peter’s behalf. An angel of the Lord appears to Peter and leads him out of the prison. Once free, Peter goes to the house of Mary where the Bible tells us, “Many were gathered together and were praying” (Acts 12:12). In almost humorous fashion, those gathered told Rhoda, the young servant girl who answered the door when Peter knocked, that she was “out of her mind” (Acts 12:15). Even they struggled to believe that it was Peter at the door. We are told that when they opened to door, “They saw him and were amazed” (Acts 12:16). God had answered their prayer.

As it was to the early church, prayer should be central in our lives. When we are faced with hard times, we should pray. When are faced with things that hold us captive, we should pray. When we need God to do something powerful on our behalf, we should pray. After all, our God stands above all creation, He sustains it by His hand, and not a single sparrow falls from the sky without His knowledge; we can trust in Him. Take time today to lift your heart in prayer.