“(Peter) went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying (for his release from prison). Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. 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.’ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.” Acts 12:12-16
Lord Jesus, thank you for including this comical, all-too-common, convicting prayer meeting in the pages of the Bible. For it exposes our unbelief, and highlights your commitment to do exceedingly beyond all we can ask or imagine.
Too often, this scene represents the “prayer meeting” going on in my heart. I faithfully pray, but faithlessly doubt. At times, I too am astonished when “Peter,” not his angel, is actually knocking at the door. That happened yesterday, and I praise you. Literally, there was a knock at our front door, and “grace” came inside. Great is your faithfulness, perfect is your timing, and generous is your heart—even when we doubt all three.
Jesus, on this, our 51st wedding anniversary, you have been the one constant in our marriage. Time and time again, you have met me and Darlene at the intersection (collision) of our weaknesses, weariness, and unbelief. You always come with kindness (even when we don’t see that at first), pick us up, hold us, and “grace” us. Though we’re stilling longing for other expressions of “Peter” to knock at our front door, we have nothing other than gratefulness and praise for you today, Lord Jesus. So Very Amen.
