For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. —Romans 15:4

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Answered Prayer-Surprise!

Acts 12:11-16 (NIV)
Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”
 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 


King Herod arrested and punished Peter and other Christ followers for their faith. He beheaded John, the brother of James, and threw Peter in to a cold, dark, dirty prison. Peter’s friends gathered to pray for him, asking God to release him from jail and bring him back to them. And that is just what God did. He sent an angel to free him from his chains. When Peter showed up on their doorstep, they were amazed; they could hardly believe that God did what he promised to do, answer their prayers.


I am the same way. So often I pray for specific needs and when those prayers are answered and the needs met, I am surprised. God promises that if we pray with faith that he will answer our prayers, the answer may not always be the one we think we should get, but it is always the best answer. God’s timing and wisdom far outweigh my greatest desires. He knows what I need. I praise God for his answers to my prayers.

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