Tuesday, 22nd August, 2023
By Pastor Chris Oyakhilome
“So Peter was kept in prison, but fervent prayer for him was persistently made to God by the church (assembly)” (Acts 12:5 AMPC).
The Lord Jesus emphasised the need for us to watch and pray always. In Luke 21:36, for example, He said, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” In Luke 18:1, He also said, “…Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” The Apostle Paul further emphasises this in 1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Pray without ceasing.” Why is there so much emphasis on us praying?
Recall the words of Jesus, “…Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). He wants His will established in the earth as it is in heaven. He holds His people responsible for making His will come to pass in the nations. He lets us run the world with Him, enforcing His will in the nations of the world through our priestly ministry of intercession.
Luke, in Acts 12:1-5, for example, shows us the impact of the heartfelt, continued, intercessory prayer of the saints. Herod, the king, sought to oppress the Church and executed James, one of the Lord’s disciples, in order to please the Jews. Motivated by the exciting response of the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter.
Herod must have considered killing Peter, the leader of the group, as the most strategic way to destroy everything the Church stood for. However, the Church remained steadfast in prayer for Peter. As the Church prayed fervently and persistently, there was an intervention from heaven. An angel of the Lord appeared and freed Peter from his chains and guided him to safety. He then went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, where the Church had gathered in fervent prayer (Acts 12:12).
Learn to be persistent and fervent in prayer. Remember what the Bible says in James 5:16 AMPC, “…The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].” Persist in prayer until there’s a change. We have the power to change anything through our prayers. God made it so. Hallelujah!
PRAYER/CONFESSION
"Dear Father, I declare that the nations and leaders of the world are under the divine influence of your mighty power, and that wicked spirits responsible for evil and all forms of darkness in the nations are unseated, and peace reigns, in Jesus’ Name. Amen."
FURTHER STUDY
Matthew 21:22 (KJV); James 5:16 (KJV); 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV)
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Corinthians 7 & Psalms 119:113-176
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Luke 18:9-17 & 1 Samuel 9