In a beautiful celebration of the life of one of our members, his graceful daughter confessed that she once had to go to jail over parking tickets. It was shocking to think this young lady had ever been in jail. In her eulogy of her dad she explained, “So I spent two days at the ‘big house’ and so did my dad, because he would not leave me there alone.” Her dad met her in visiting hours and then waited outside until she was released.
The early disciples also spent time in jail. Peter was arrested more than once for preaching about Jesus. The second time followed the martyrdom of James, the brother of John. Fearing the same fate for Peter, the church prayed earnestly for him. God answered their prayers and miraculously delivered Peter. When Peter realized it wasn’t a dream, he went to the prayer meeting. In fact, the people at prayer were so surprised they left him at the door. They were praying but not expecting God to answer. Eventually they realized that God had delivered Peter from the jail.
If we pray for rain, we should definitely carry an umbrella. God’s people should never be surprised when he answers us. Would you pray today for the church, that God would revive us again and do something so great that he would be the only explanation for it? We may find ourselves in a boat in a storm, or in a prison cell, but we know for sure that God never leaves us by ourselves. Like a loving Father, he goes with us through the trials of life.
