up all night to pray unless they be lieve. But this story in a wonderful way reveals what is wrong with a lot of our prayers today. These dear saints were praying to be praying. It was the thing to do. They had faith but their faith was merely an end in itself. That their prayers would bring results never entered their minds. They were pray ing and that was enough. But God actually answered their prayers! A miracle was performed and Peter was released from prison. He went to the all-night prayer meeting and knocked. Young Rhoda answered and upon recognizing Peter’s voice she was so overcome with joy she raced back to tell the others, leaving Peter still on the outside. The news that their prayers had been answered didn’t set well. People who report answered prayer are . . . well, rather suspect. Said the group to this bearer of glad tidings: “Thou art mad” (Acts 12:15). But she insisted. Said the praying saints: “ It is his angel.” Meanwhile the object of their prayers was still without, knocking. Well, you know the story. The door was finally opened and the Scripture records “ they were astonished.” This account is appealingly human. It is so difficult to believe— experi mentally—that God really does an-, swer prayer. Especially when that prayer has to do with healing for our bodies. I know this is true be cause I’ve experienced it. Many of you know that since my conversion I’ve spent most of my time appearing with evangelists giving my testimony across the nation and work ing in Christian pictures. About two- and-one-half years ago I became ill. I was taken to the hospital and op erated on for appendicitis. The first night in the hospital the Lord gave me an opportunity to speak to a fellow patient and she immediately accepted Christ. After the operation I didn’t feel much better and fol lowing a series of X-rays the doctors discovered I had a rather large stom ach ulcer. The doctors were wonderful. I was placed on a strict diet, my activities were drastically curtailed and I had the very latest medicine. But the ulcer wouldn’t heal. During these months my greatest comfort was Job. What a blessed portion of Scripture. Some of my friends asked me why, since I said I had faith, wasn’t I healed? I couldn’t answer them. I kept reading and re-reading Job. I came to the place where I realized that if in my weakness God could show His strength then I was grate ful for that. About this time I was asked to do THE KING'S BUSINESS
By Georgia L N o really born-again child of God doubts that God can heal today. God being God auto matically means there is nothing im possible to Him. But when we ask our hearts if God does heal today then we often get an entirely differ ent answer. Naturally we believe in prayer . . . but to think that God would actually answer is such a shocking notion that our minds fairly shrink from it. But this is not unusual. The same was true in Bible days. You recall the story in Acts 12 about Peter’s release from prison. The believers gathered for an all-night prayer meeting. This showed real faith. People don’t stay 18
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