UNEXPECTED ANSWER

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KING HEROD'S PERSECUTION

Read Acts 12:1–24

     (King Herod) had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword… So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.  Acts 12:2, 5 NIV

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     On the last night before Peter's trial, the disciples gathered at John Mark's home to pray for his deliverance. What they did not expect, was that their prayers would be miraculously answered that very night.
     A young servant girl, Rhoda, came to answer the door, and we are told that "when she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!" "You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel." (12:14–15)

     While they tried to process what was happening, "Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished." (12:16)

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     Lord, I wonder how many times I have prayed without really expecting an answer. It is a comfort to me that You worked this miracle, not because of the strength of their faith, but on the basis of Your Almighty power in answer to earnest prayer.

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     …Herod, (who had murdered James) wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.   Acts 12:21–23 NIV

THE LORD'S PRAYER

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JESUS TEACHES HOW TO PRAY

Read Luke 11:1–13; John 14:13–14
"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." Luke 11:9 NKJV

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Most of us are familiar with the "Lord's Prayer" in this passage. Actually, this was a model prayer for us to follow. Jesus goes on to teach more about how to pray. We should pray to the Father in Jesus name–for our daily needs, for forgiveness, for protection from temptation and deliverance from the evil one. Jesus said we should ask with persistence, because, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:13 NKJV)

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Lord, I cannot help but notice in this passage that asking for our daily needs results in the priceless gift of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul said, “He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.” (Romans 8:27 NIV) So I need not worry about asking for the wrong thing. If the Holy Spirit is praying for me, the result will be according to God's perfect plan. Thank You, Jesus!

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…We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. Romans 8:26 NIV