Barnabas and Saul were on their way to Jerusalem… with monies collected for the Jerusalem believers because of a famine.
Acts 11:27-30 What was happening in Jerusalem about that time?
(NASB) Acts 12:1 “NOW ABOUT that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them.”
Herod Agrippa used his power to oppress, torment and mistreat believers in Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. Herod Agrippa I was king in Jerusalem and under the thumb of Rome.
Today, when we hear of people being oppressed, tormented, tortured, or mistreated because of faith in Jesus Christ, how do we react? How did the people whose faith was in Jesus Christ react at the time of Herod Agrippa I?
Herod Agrippa I had James (a disciple of Jesus Christ) the brother of John put to death with a sword. (Acts 12:2) Bad things happened to God’s people then. Bad things are happening today to the followers of Christ… in many parts of the world. How are we, as believers, to respond?
Read what Jesus said:
(NASB) Matthew 5:43-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’
44 ‘But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Was Herod Agrippa finished with persecuting the believers?
(NASB) Acts 12:3-5 “When he (Herod Agrippa I) saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
4 When he (Herod) had seized him (Peter), he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people.
5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.”
These tragic events were happening during the holy week of Unleavened Bread just before Passover. For followers of Christ this would have meant just before Easter, the holy day that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the grave.
Agrippa’s cruelty and imprisonment with the intent to kill Peter was a fact. James had been killed, what would stop Peter’s murder?
What did the believers do? They prayed, fervently, with persistence and earnestly petitioned the living God for help.
God says in Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
Their prayers to God were of greater power than the power of King Agrippa. They thought Peter was in prison… and he may have been. We do know that Peter arrived at the house where they were praying while they were praying.
~ Take it to heart ~
Do you know that your prayers are powerful when you pray in the name of Jesus?
God’s power, His plans are never thwarted or overcome… we are to trust Him and persist in prayer for His will to be done. Matthew 5:10