Miraculous Prayer

For this week’s devotional, we’re going to do something a little different! There’s a spiritual practice called lectio divina, which centers around listening to what the Holy Spirit might be saying through scripture by rereading a shorter passage multiple times and asking ourselves different questions each time.

Before we get going, I’ll share some context about our passage.

As the early church gained believers, outside leaders, such as King Herod, grew angry and violent toward the Christians. Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples and a prominent leader in the early church, was arrested for preaching the good news of Jesus’ love and salvation. He was supposed to face a death sentence, until something unexpected happened…

One of my friends who introduced me to lectio divina always starts the process by asking the Spirit to be present with us, and I encourage you to do the same.

Holy Spirit come. Fill us with your presence and guide our reading today.

For our first reading, let’s just understand the story.

Today’s passage: Peter’s Miraculous Escape from Prison

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

⁶ The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 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 off Peter’s wrists.

⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. ⁹ Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

¹¹ Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

¹² When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. ¹³ Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

¹⁵ “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

¹⁶ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷ Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

– Acts 12:5-17 (NIV)

This time, close your eyes and listen to the reading (this is a recording of all of Acts 12, so feel free to pause when you get to verse 17). As you listen, notice if there are any words or phrases that stand out to you, and write them down.

For our third reading, listen to the passage again. Ask yourself these questions:

• Which character do I relate to in this story?
• How would I be feeling if I were in Peter’s shoes? Or in Rhoda’s shoes?
• If I were one of the prayerful believers, would I have been surprised to see Peter survive?
• Do I feel imprisoned or inhibited by anything today?

For our fourth reading, consider these questions:

• How might the Spirit be speaking through this passage into a specific circumstance or relationship I’m experiencing?
• How would I like to grow in my prayer life? How about in my faith?
• What is a phrase or image that comforts me in this passage?
• What do I think freedom through Christ means and feels like?

To end our lectio divina, pray and ask God to guide you in the challenges you may face in your faith and thank Him for His provision. Ask Him if there is someone in your life He wants you to pray for. Prayer is more powerful than we can even imagine!