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Rhoda See Peter, Leaves Him standing at the Door! by Pam Kumpe Has anyone ever called you crazy? Or off your rocker? Rhoda worked for New Testament Christians; we meet her in the book of Acts, chapter 12, and the praying Christians accuse her of being off her rocker. Here they are praying for Peter's release from prison, asking God for a miracle and Peter is standing at their front door, literally. He knocks on the door. He kicks the dirt from his sandals, and anxiously waits to tell everyone about the latest miracle. Herod has imprisoned Peter to up his approval ratings when he saw how they reacted when he killed James. So in other words Herod was driven to lock up Peter by political motives. He seized Peter and delivered him to four squads of soldiers, kept him guarded, and Herod planned to bring Peter before the people after Passover. Don't forget that Peter and the apostles had already escaped from prison back in chapter 5 of Acts, when the angel of the Lord came at night, opened the prison doors and brought Peter, and the others out, and told them, "Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people telling them about Jesus." Peter saw God working in his life, and Herod knew God was working on Peter’s behalf, so he had additional security to keep Peter inside those prison walls. But now, Peter’s out again, and knocking on the door of the very house where the Christians have prayed for his release. He cannot wait to tell them, only Rhoda is so excited at seeing him, she leaves him standing outside, shuts the door, and runs to the others. They are secretly holding their prayer meeting at the house of Mary, mother of James and John, to pray for Peter's safety while he was in prison. Peter wanted to tell them how he was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and even had a guard at the entrance. That suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. The angel struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. 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. Peter followed the angel out of the prison, but he had no idea what was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 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. Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating." So he walked to the house where the Christians were praying and knocked on the door. This is how Rhoda came to see Peter. She was the first person to see him, recognized his voice, and ran to tell the others. She was overjoyed, and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!" Get this. They said, "You're out of your mind." But she kept insisting that it was so, and they said, "It must be his angel." Scripture says, but Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet, but somehow I can see Rhoda standing off to the side whispering, "See. It's him. I told you so. I told you so." I find it seemingly odd, that Rhoda left Peter standing outside the house while she tried to convince them their prayers had been answered. Isn't that how we are? We pray to God and then when He answers us, we don't recognize the mighty hand of our Lord at work. Instead of thanking God for a miracle, we react like the New Testament Christians and don’t really expect to see our miracle happen. Now, Rhoda, she was quick to say, "Peter's at the door. Peter’s at the door." God picked a servant to announce the good news about Peter's release, a lowly person at the house who becomes a messenger for God, and she brought the news of an amazing miracle. If you ever feel like Rhoda that you are unimportant, remember God can use you to bring his message to others. Maybe you have prayed for something only for it not to happen, but take heart – God has overcome the world. He hears and knows the burden of your heart. Look for His answers. It may be as close as your front door. If not, remember God’s ways are not ours, but His ways are always sovereign. He can use a servant like Rhoda to bring the news of prisons escapes and miracles in the land. So He can always use you. So trust God to drop the chains and open prison doors, He is busy working on your behalf. Ask Rhoda, she'll agree, she’s the one who saw Peter! www.pamkumpe.blogspot.com Your Play and Pray Friend, Pam Kumpe |
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| << March08, 2008 - Easter Will Never Be the Same for Lydia |
May05, 2008 - Daybreak Devotionals >> |
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