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&,ny other time he would have been put to death immediately. Time was thus given the church for prayer. This saved Peter and the situation. “ Peter there fore was kept in prison, but prayer— .” MONDAY, Feb. 23. Acts 12 :5-9. The Pow er o f Prayer. Prayer changes things. It is not merely a spiritual dumb-bell exercise for the benefit of the one who prays. It actually brings things to pass. It is a spiritual force and an efficient cause. It brought Peter away from sixteen sol diers who were guarding him. It melted the chains by which he was bound. It opened the iron gate that shut him in from the outer world. There is no emergency that prayer is not equal to. “No praying man or woman accom plishes so much with so little expendi ture of time as when he or she is pray ing. If there should arise, it has been said, (and the words are surely true to. the thought of ojir Lord Jesus Christ in all His teaching on prayer), if there should arise one utterly believing man the history of the world might be changed^’ TUESDAY, Feb. 24. Acts 12:7-11. Peter Delivered. Peter was peacefully sleeping be tween two soldiers in spite of his chains. We marvel at his sleeping in Gethsemane and discover sometfiing supernatural about it as if it had been induced by Satan. May this slumber not be equally supernatural, induced by the Holy Spirit and the result of a clean conscience? Peter could afford to sleep if the whole church was in prayer for him. Peter’s previous deliverance is told in a single verse, 5:19, but here every detail is given, the stroke On his side, the lifting to his feet, his girdle,, sandals, cloak, his passage through the guards, his exit from the prison to the city, his walk with the angel and his
recovery of full consciousness. Luke’s object is to explain how the Lord saved His own from the power of the state. A better translation of the opening phrase of verse 12 is “ when he under stood the matter.” The details enabled him to become fully conscious of their meaning and he knew that God had de livered him from Herod. WEDNESDAY, Feb. 25. Acts 12 :13- 17. The Incredulity o f Those W h o Pray. They had been praying for Peter’s deliverance. When the prayer was an swered they were incredulous. They allowed Peter to stand outside knock ing for admission while they decided that Herod had put him to death and that his ghost had come to visit them. It would be ludicrous if it were not so pitiable. We ask God for something and wh^n He gives it,- we refuse to recognize it, saying with Job, “ If I had called and He had answered me, yet would I not believe that He hearkened to my voice.” Job 9:16. If it is a blessed privilege to pray to God under any cir cumstances it is surely necessary to. identify an answered prayer and to give thanks accordingly. THURSDAY, Feb. 26. Heb. 1:6-14. The Ministry o f Angels. The angel only did for Peter what he could not do for himself. The angel attended to the soldiers, the chains, and the iron gate. He told Peter however to dress himself and he only escorted him out of the danger zone. Peter knew the way to the prayer meeting. Angelic guidance was therefore , superfluous. There is Scriptural warrant for suppos ing that while the Holy Spirit has charge of our spiritual interests, angels defend and deliver us in times of phy sical. peril and need. ' Ps. 91111-12, Their ministry is silent, faithful and continuous. We do not thank them but
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