In Acts 12 the persecution against the church in Jerusalem reaches another new high. The church earnestly prays as James is killed by the hand of Herod Agrippa I and Peter is miraculously saved from prison and likely death. Yet, Herod’s opposition is short-lived as God judges him for taking God’s glory and opposing God’s people. In our passage Luke wants us to understand the importance of prayer in the life of the church as she submits herself to the sovereign will of God. He also wants to illustrate the dangers of being a believer in Jesus and the danger of opposing God’s work. In this message we learn three key truths:
- When God’s people pray, things do not always turn out how we like (vv. 1-2)
- When God’s people pray, at times God answers in extraordinary ways (vv. 3-19)
- When God’s people pray, we do so with confidence knowing God will triumph (vv. 20-24)