About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration.) Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover. But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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!” When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!” “You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.” Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers what happened,” he said. And then he went to another place. At dawn there was a great commotion among the soldiers about what had happened to Peter. Herod Agrippa ordered a thorough search for him. When he couldn’t be found, Herod interrogated the guards and sentenced them to death. Afterward Herod left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while. Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they sent a delegation to make peace with him because their cities were dependent upon Herod’s country for food. The delegates won the support of Blastus, Herod’s personal assistant, and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them. The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!” Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died. Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers. When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission to Jerusalem, they returned, taking John Mark with them.
Acts of the Apostles 12:1-25 NLT
We do not know what God will do, but we must never stop praying. In these verses, Herod killed James the brother of John, one of the twelve apostles. Peter was then arrested and slated for execution. The Christians were praying fervently for his release. They did not just throw up their hands and say “Whatever God wants will happen.” They prayed for the release of Peter. They were grieved about the death of James – a godly man murdered to win popularity points. It was selfishness and sin. But they knew that no human sin could thwart God’s ultimate Plan.
We do not know every detail of God’s Plan, but we can pray. We pray that we would know God’s Plan and follow it. We pray that we will trust God, even when we do not know His whole Plan. We pray for people not to choose sinful ways, including ourselves. Jesus prayed to be spared of the Cross; He did not want to die. But His death was a part of God’s Plan, and Jesus was willing to die, even at the hands of selfish leaders. We don’t know why James was killed and Peter was released, but we know we can trust God even while sinful people continue to do wrong. We will not understand all of God’s Plan, but we follow Jesus, knowing He loves us and has suffered for us and is still working for this world to know Him more. Keep praying to Him and keep trusting in Him.
Why is it important to trust God, even when you do not know His whole Plan? How can you keep praying, even when bad things happen?
