Earnest Prayer
TOPIC: EARNEST PRAYER
Read: Acts 12:5
MEMORISE: Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. (Acts 12:5)
EXPOSITION
The early church lost one of their apostles, James, to the hands of the enemies, and another apostle Peter was arrested and awaiting the same fate. But the church did not lose heart. They kept Peter in prison but the church went into constant prayer. This verse must have been deliberately written, not merely as an observation by the author, but a commentary on the strong sense of dependency that the early church had on God. Such dependency on God seemed a stark contrast to the arrogance of Herod, who loved to feed his own ego, by pleasing the crowd, being called a god (Acts 12:22). In the end, God, in His sovereignty, acted mightily and sent His angel to rescue Peter, while Herod died horribly.
One wonders if the Church in the land would be in earnest prayers, when we are in crises, similar to the arrest of Apostle Peter. In fact, the spate of persecutions and terrorist attacks on Christians and Christian establishments are enough to spur the Church everywhere, both individually and corporately, to go into serious prayers, rather than harbouring animosity, against such haters or looking for ways to get back at them. What should we have done today? Look for connections, engage the best of lawyers, assassinating the characters of Herod etc.
However, we should not only be in earnest prayer when things seem to be going terribly wrong but also depend on God by being in earnest prayer even during more peaceable times. As a people of God, we need to be in earnest prayer at all times. This, on its own, would afford us the great privilege of being ready for such trying times.
Indeed, intense praying is so important. It really shows our hearts condition towards who God is in our lives. May we as a church, move towards the direction of being a house of prayer, and not losing heart in any of life's situations. Amen.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Dear Lord, awaken the church to the ministry of intercession, even before any unpleasant situation arises.
2. No matter how the devil may rage, and the rulers of this world gather themselves together, let them never prevail against the church and your will, in Jesus' name.
3. Let us pray for our national leaders that they would acknowledge and revere God, while carrying-out their leadership roles.
Read: Acts 12:5
MEMORISE: Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. (Acts 12:5)
EXPOSITION
The early church lost one of their apostles, James, to the hands of the enemies, and another apostle Peter was arrested and awaiting the same fate. But the church did not lose heart. They kept Peter in prison but the church went into constant prayer. This verse must have been deliberately written, not merely as an observation by the author, but a commentary on the strong sense of dependency that the early church had on God. Such dependency on God seemed a stark contrast to the arrogance of Herod, who loved to feed his own ego, by pleasing the crowd, being called a god (Acts 12:22). In the end, God, in His sovereignty, acted mightily and sent His angel to rescue Peter, while Herod died horribly.
One wonders if the Church in the land would be in earnest prayers, when we are in crises, similar to the arrest of Apostle Peter. In fact, the spate of persecutions and terrorist attacks on Christians and Christian establishments are enough to spur the Church everywhere, both individually and corporately, to go into serious prayers, rather than harbouring animosity, against such haters or looking for ways to get back at them. What should we have done today? Look for connections, engage the best of lawyers, assassinating the characters of Herod etc.
However, we should not only be in earnest prayer when things seem to be going terribly wrong but also depend on God by being in earnest prayer even during more peaceable times. As a people of God, we need to be in earnest prayer at all times. This, on its own, would afford us the great privilege of being ready for such trying times.
Indeed, intense praying is so important. It really shows our hearts condition towards who God is in our lives. May we as a church, move towards the direction of being a house of prayer, and not losing heart in any of life's situations. Amen.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Dear Lord, awaken the church to the ministry of intercession, even before any unpleasant situation arises.
2. No matter how the devil may rage, and the rulers of this world gather themselves together, let them never prevail against the church and your will, in Jesus' name.
3. Let us pray for our national leaders that they would acknowledge and revere God, while carrying-out their leadership roles.
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