And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. (Acts 12:11-16)
Peter was imprisoned around the same time that James was martyred. Both men were close to Jesus. Both were called and anointed. The enemy attacked both, but one survived, and one died. Why?
Scripture notes one apparent difference between James and Peter. Peter had the whole church praying for him, making intercessions on his behalf 24/7. The Bible tells us to pray for all saints (Ephesians 6:18), which means that you and I are responsible for praying for the entire body of Christ. We should stand in the gap for those attacked by the enemy and the world’s system.
When prayer was raised, God sent an angel to change things. The angel loosened Peter’s bands, opened the prison door, safely escorted him out of the prison yard, and led him to the house full of praying saints.
They treated it nonchalantly when he came to the door, saying it was “Peter’s angel.” That tells me two things. First, it wasn’t strange for them to see angels. Second, they expected the angel to be on assignment doing something for Peter because of their prayers. Intercession is powerful. We should prioritize it in our personal lives and our churches.
Practical Application
Remember to pray for the church. Pray for unity. Pray for those who are suffering persecution. Pray for angelic help on assignments and for support as believers connect with one another. Your prayers make a difference.