"After You Have Done Everything You Know to Do"

Acts 12:5-17

5 Peter Freed from Prison
Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands. 8 Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me." 9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people."
12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. 13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. 15 But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said,"It is his angel."
16 Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren." And he departed and went to another place. NKJV

In this text we find that Peter is arrested and his head is about to be cut off the next morning. What does Peter do, does he stay up all night with anxiety, does he toss and turn, does he take medication to knock him out, does he try to escape from the situation? No, Peter is snoring! That's right he is sleeping.

Verse 12 tells us that the Church was praying for him. Here is what I am learning, you can't fight all the time (even Batman). The word of the Lord for some of you is rest! Take a chill pill! Selah! You can't fight 24 hours a day, there comes a time when you have bound everything you can bind, buked everything you can buke, fasted, praised, wept, sowed seeds... You have done everything you know to do, so what do you do now?

Sometimes you have to quit doing, and rest in what you've already done. After you have done all to stand, stand therefore. This is not being lazy, it is simply realizing that you can't fight 24 hours a day. You need to say I have already fought, the battle is not mine anyway, it is already won! I am not fighting for victory, I'm fighting from victory.

Tomorrow we will talk about, what if you don't see any results from your prayer?

Blessings,
Craig Sloan