Herod has just killed James with the sword, and Peter is next. Acts 12:5 says, “Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.” Luke uses that same word family for Jesus praying in Gethsemane (Luke 22:44). These people are serious. Then God answers. An angel walks Peter out past the guards, and he shows up at Mary’s house knocking at the gate. Rhoda is so happy she forgets to open it. She runs in and tells everybody, and they say, “You are out of your mind.” Luke tells it a lot like Easter morning in Luke 24, when the women brought good news and the men called it an idle tale. That’s me. I pray hard, and then I’m shocked when God actually does it. And Jesus answers anyway. He isn’t waiting on us to work up enough faith. Luke even slips in this line while they’re still arguing: “But Peter continued knocking.” Jesus answers a prayer meeting full of people who can’t believe it worked.
