Acts 12:3b-7 - Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared

12:3b,4

Having seen that killing James went down well, Herod proceeded to arrest Peter. The fact that this happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread is significant because it explains why there was a delay in Peter’s execution. Herod would want to avoid killing at that time as this might offend religious sensibilities. Peter was guarded by four squads of soldiers. There was one squad for each of the four hour watches.

12:5-7

Peter was kept in prison, but the church was “earnestly praying to God for him”. We will see later that the faith of the church was not that great, yet their prayers were still effective. We should still pray, even when our faith seems to be small. Peter was asleep. He was in a very secure position. He lay between two soldiers, was bound with chains, and there were guards at the door. However, none of this could stop an angel! The angel woke Peter up, told him to get up, and the chains fell off. Man makes many friends against the church, but none of them take account, or can take account, of the actions of God!  Here, as throughout Acts, we see the centrality of God acting, either through the Holy Spirit, or through angels, with the church. If we see Acts as a manual on how Christ expects the church to operate, then we should expect the Spirit and angels to continue to work with us in the service of the Lord today.