Acts 12

Does anyone else watch “Heroes” on Monday nights? If so, you’re probably familiar with the new character, Claude. Claude is invisible, and he can move around town without even touching another person making him, effectively, non-existent. Peter must have had a similar experience during his escape from jail.

Herod assigned sixteen men to guard Peter, and two of those men were on either side of Peter while he slept. One night, though, an angel appeared to Peter as he slept between those two guards, woke him up, and led him straight out of the jail to the gate of the city. How did none of the guards see what was going on? Peter had to get up, get dressed, get out of the jail; this was not a quick process, but the guards were completely oblivious to what was going on. Somehow, God made the guards not see.

Here’s the interesting part to me. Peter has been going around preaching to everyone since the day of Pentecost; nearly a year (at least) since the Passover is coming, and Pentecost is a month after Passover (in rough terms), and in that time, Peter has spoken in different languages, healed the sick, raised a girl from the dead, eaten with a Gentile, and escaped from jail once before. This time around, though, the Bible tells us that Peter did not understand and implies that he had doubts as to the miraculous nature of his escape. I hope that that was designed by God in some way for some reason because I don’t want to think that an apostle who was a part of so many miracles, witness to Jesus in flesh and blood, and the recipient of such power could have doubts about God. If that’s the case, what a challenge for us who must believe without seeing.

At the same time, though, the believers that were praying for Peter had their prayers answered, and they didn’t even recognize it at first. Did they doubt God as well? At first, Rhoda announced that Peter was at the door, and they told her that she was crazy. She kept insisting, the Bible says, and they finally said that it must be his spirit. They didn’t even believe that God could really free Peter from jail. God had already done it once before. And if they didn’t really believe it, then what were they praying for? That his death would be merciful? Or did they pray that familiar generic prayer that we use so often: God's will be done? If you sincerely pray for God's will, then you better be prepared for what He wills!

God is so much bigger than all we can ask or imagine, and it challenges me to read about the early church having doubts. It reminds me that we are all people with fears and doubts, but that God is still God. It challenges me to think bigger and to pray bigger, and it reminds me that too often we put limits on God because of the limits of our own belief. God has no limits except those of His own choosing, and we are foolish to not believe that anything is possible with Him.