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THE KING’ S BUSINESS
attention and which obtains the desired answer (cf. Rom. 15:30; Col. 4:12, 13, R. V. Jer. 29:13). The prayer was made “ of the church,” i. e., it was united prayer. There is power in the prayer o f an indi vidual but there is not only added power but multiplied power in united prayer. God delights in the unity o f His people and does everything He can to emphasize and pro mote it, therefore He especially promises to answer united prayer (Matt. 18:19, 20; Acts 1:14; 4:24, 31). (4) The prayer was “for him,” that is to say, it was definite prayer. The prayer that gets a definite answer is the prayer that is for a definite person and a definite thing. In too many o f our prayers, both in public and private, we deal too much in generalities. | v. 6 . “And when Herod would have brought him (was about to bring him) forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and the keepers (guards) before the door kept the prsion.” It is now the very last night, early the next day Peter is to be led out to execution. Peter’s case indeed seems to be past hope, but God often withholds - His deliverances and His answers to prayer until the very last moment. Peter seems to have had faith that he would be delivered, for he was sleeping, calmly and very soundly, and fur thermore, just as soon as he was awakened he said, “ Now I know, o f a trtfth that the Lord hath sent His angel (just as I had been asking Him to do) and delivered me.” v. 7. “And behold, the (an) angel of the Lord came upon him (stood by him), and a light shined in the prison (cell): and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up (awoke him), saying, Arise (Rise) up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.” A prison cell is a dark and dismal place, but this prison cell became luminous, and no place is more luminous than a prison cell when an angel o f the Lord stands there. Prayer has brought heavenly light into many a prison cell. The definite article “the” before • “angel o f the Lord” should be changed into the indefinite article
could do better than all these, more effect ive than all these, the most effective thing that any child o f God can do, they could pray, and pray they did. They appeal the case from Herod the king,-to God the King o f kings. If the enemies o f the church had known that the Christians were holding a prayer meeting to get Peter delivered from prison anchdeath they doubtless would have been amused and would have said, “W e will see what comes o f their prayers.” But while they would have treated the prayers o f believers with contempt, God did not. There are four things to notice about the prayer that brought such great things to pass, for they teach us hbw to pray So as to get what we ask: (1) It was “ unto G od ." The prayer that gets an answer is the prayer that is really “ unto p o d ? Much so-called prayer is not really unto God. Though we use God’s name in offering the prayer, there is no real thought o f God in our minds and no real approach to God in our experience. If we would pray with power we should be sure, first o f all, in every prayer we. make, that we have actually come into God’s presence and are really talking to Him. (2) The prayer was made "without ceasing," according to the Authorized Version, “ earnestly”- accord ing to the Revised Version. The Revised Version gives the thought o f the Greek word, but it does not give the full force o f it. The word means literally, “ stretched- outedly.” It is a vividly pictural word and represents the soul stretched but toward God in the intensity o f its desire. "Intensely ? would come nearer giving the force o f the Greek word than “ earnestly in fact, intensely is from the same root as the Greek word here used. It is the same word that is used o f our Lord’s prayer in the garden in Luke 22 :44, where we are told that “being in an agony He prayed more earnestly.” So intense Was our. Lord’s prayer on that occasion that “ His sweat was as it were great drops o f blood falling down upon the ground.” It is the intense prayer, the prayer into which we throw our whole soul, to which God pays
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