What would you do if you were released from captivity? You may remember the P.O.W.’s (Prisoners of war) and M.I.A.’s (Missing in action) in the early 70’s. My family was grateful when our dad returned from the Vietnam war safely. I remember my brothers and I received and wore the P.O.W. bracelets and prayed for these soldiers to return home safely. When these heroes like John McCain and others were released, we rejoiced as we saw them embrace their families.
What did the church do when the Apostles were released from their captivity? They prayed a prayer of dependence and defiance. We may be sure that nobody had anything more important that day than to praise God for the safe release of Peter and John. They raised their voices together. Like Jesus in the garden, they prayed loudly to our Sovereign Lord.
Especially in desperate times, our prayers reveal what we believe about God. The early disciples knew that God was sovereign. He had created the heavens and spoken through King David in Psalm 2. Kings and rulers united against Jesus and his servants. But we serve a greater King. No earthly leader will get the last word. God’s people praise him together for working out his plan in our lives and our world.
Last night in our prayer meeting we sang our dependence on God, “I depend on you.” For all of our claims of independence, we depend deeply on God every day. We also defy the authorities both spiritual and secular in our world. The Apostles knew what we must remember: God wins. Not just some of the time, but every time, our God wins. He has won before and he will win again. The Sovereign Lord of the universe releases us today. We should pray.
