Acts 12:7
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell of Peter's wrists.
Peter is up to his neck in hot water. On Herod's orders, he was arrested for preaching the good news and now sits in prison, chained and heavily guarded. Tomorrow, he will be paraded before the people by Herod, just as Pilate did with Jesus before the Lord was sentenced to death. The church, meanwhile, is praying fervently for Peter's release, but such a reprieve seems bleak at best. The disciple that Jesus declared would be the rock upon which the church was founded lies on harsh, unrelenting stone and, overwhelmed with grief, sleeps, just as he did in Gethsemanes' Garden the night of Jesus' betrayal. What now, after all, could possibly save him?
Cue the theme from Mission Impossible! It's Action Angel to the rescue! Slugging the slumbering Peter and barking orders like a drill sergeant, the angel dislodges him from the chains and proceeds to guide him invisibly and hastily past the guards and soldiers until they reach a point of safety. Then, without another word, the angel disappears. Peter, dazed and confused, suspected until the moment of the angel's departure that this was only a vision; now he confesses that it was, indeed, a miraculous act of the Lord.
Where in your life are you felling imprisoned, chained, or hopeless today? I pray you are not, but if you are, take heart! Call upon the Lord to set you free; no mission is impossible for Him!
Readings
Psalms 26, 28 or 36, 39
1 Samuel 19:1-18
Acts 12:1-17
Mark 2:1-12
I still believe in miracles no matter what they say. The wonder working power of God is still at work today. Is anything impossible with God?
ReplyDeleteOn Sunday I might as well have been in prison. The A/C went on the blink during the hottest day ever -besides today (and tomorrow). And you know that on Sundays Southern Piping is closed :(
I actually imagined being held captive in a place this hot forever. I couldn’t sleep upstairs even with a fan blowing directly in my face because of the oppressive humidity. So I moseyed back downstairs and sat on the front porch half the night. A nightmare that I thought would never end. The A/C repairman almost seemed like an angel when he finally showed up yesterday.
Excellent description of the Action Angel. I’ll be counting on him to get me out of jail if I’m ever in Peter’s shoes.
Thank you so much for the comment, Debra. What an ordeal to be without A/C, especially in this heat wave! So relieved to know you were able to get it fixed quickly; actually, that is a miracle if you consider the heat and the high demand there must be for these guys this time of year.
ReplyDeleteYes, I would love to have Action Angel on my side, everywhere and every way! :)