This post is Day 16 in a series of studies about “Suddenly”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts about each verse and how you will be acting on each thought. Also, if you haven’t yet signed up to receive the notifications of new studies, you can do that today. (The form is at the bottom of the page).

Suddenly – Day 16

In the prison Peter was not panicking, but sleeping peacefully in spite of his chains which attached him to two sentries! Once Peter was freed from prison and walking towards the house where people were praying for him, we read of another suddenly! Suddenly the angel left him (Acts 12:10).

Acts 12:7

Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

The Thought

Herod was determined to get rid of the disciples who were faithfully following in the footsteps of their master, Jesus. This master had ascended miraculously to Heaven, leaving instructions for them to continue doing what He had done. The authorities did not like that. So Peter found himself in prison just after James had been put to death.

In the prison Peter was not panicking. He was sleeping peacefully in spite of his chains which attached him to two sentries! We suppose that the sentries were sleeping too, because there is no record of them reacting to what happened when an angel came and delivered Peter from their care!

Once Peter was freed from prison and walking towards the house where people were praying for him, we read of another “suddenly”!

Acts 12:10 – They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

Many of us will never know what it is like to be face to face with the possibility of imprisonment or death just because we are believers in Jesus. But in many parts of the world today that is what is happening.

Action

Pray for those imprisoned for their faith to suddenly be released.

Pray today for more suddenlies from God for yourself and your family.

Read Acts 12:21-23 today and think about what might happen to those who oppose God’s work on the earth.

Pray for your family members, and those you work with or your neighbours who don’t believe in Jesus to suddenly “see the light” as Saul did (Acts 22, Day 10).

For a full list of online studies available on this site, please click here.

If there is a subject you would like to see on this site, please use the comment section below or drop us an email (there’s a link at the very top of the page). We can’t promise to cover them all, and our studies are usually prepared a month or two in advance, so please be patient.

For a full list of physical resources available through this site, please click here.