A Surprising Response

Scripture – Acts 12:12-15: ¹²When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. ¹³Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. ¹⁴When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” ¹⁵“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

Reflection: – Here’s a little comic relief in the midst of the story. Have you ever prayed for something to happen and then been surprised when it did?

People often equate “answered prayer” with God doing what they wanted Him to do. It’s important to remember God always hears our prayers. Sometimes He chooses to remain silent. Sometimes His answer is a clear, “No.” Sometimes He does do what I’m asking Him to do.

In this passage the church is having a prayer meeting, as they had done since Peter’s arrest. We don’t know what they were praying for exactly. Once in a while, if I don’t pay attention, my prayers turn into wishes – things I would like to happen, but I don’t expect them to happen. I can easily imagine some of the prayers were that Peter would be released, even as people never really expected that to happen. I’m afraid I pray like that sometimes myself. I forget that part of effective prayer is bringing myself into God’s presence and submitting myself to His will.

How has the Lord surprised you in response to prayer? How do you handle it when God does not respond as you would like?