October 20, 2015:  SOAP #2147:

Scripture:  Acts (NIV) 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. [Verses 6-11: An angel awakes him and leads him out of the prison. Once outside the prison Peter realizes that it was not a dream.] 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 girl 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.

Observation:  From their response when they heard that Peter was standing at the door, it seems faith was lacking in that prayer meeting.  But they were praying according to God’s will.  God still had plans for Peter’s ministry.  They were praying prayers that God wanted to answer.   John had just been killed.  Peter was important to them.   They may have been lacking faith, but surely they had passion.

Application:  It is powerful when my prayers align with God’s will!   As I pray, I need to be thinking about how Jesus would pray about what is on my heart or in my mind.  I need to remember that I will probably close my prayer with “in Jesus Name, Amen.”  If I am praying in His Name, I should be praying the prayers He would be praying.

Prayer:   Holy Spirit, lead me to pray prayers that align with the will of God.  Lead me to pray prayers that God wants to answer.    Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!