The Great Escape
“And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.” Acts 12:6-7
The apostle Peter had been arrested and jailed for preaching the gospel. Herod, the ruler of Israel at that time, had already had the apostle James executed, thus tyrants have been with us since the dawn of time and will continue to cause havoc until Jesus returns.
Facing a likely execution the next day, Peter was fast asleep with guards chained to him on either side. Peter’s ability to sleep like a baby in such dire circumstances shows us the grace of God in allowing Peter’s faith to shield him from worry and confusion. He knew that James had been mercilessly executed because of his association with Jesus. Maybe Peter remembered that Jesus had previously told him that he would die for his faith when he was old (John 21:18-19), but perhaps he was confident that he had not reached that old age yet. Whatever he ws thinking, Peter was not lying awake worried about tomorrow. I suppose the guards were also asleep confident that Peter wasn’t going anywhere except to the gallows the next day. There were more guards at the door who remained awake. It was a huge mistake to allow a prisoner to escape.
As Peter slept, suddenly he felt something poking him in his side. He abruptly awakened to a figure that was shining as if someone had lit a fire in his cell. This bright figure grabbed Peter, pulling him to his feet and telling him to quickly get up. As he arose, the chains just fell from his wrists. The bright figure was an angel of the Lord. Peter had experienced a similar situation before (Acts 5:17-20) when he and other apostles were imprisoned, and an angel of the Lord freed them. (All the earthly powers in the world cannot stop the spread of the gospel. Man’s efforts to contain the gospel only causes it to spread further.) One would have thought that the two guards would have awakened, but God gave them such a deep sleep that even an earthquake likely would not have awakened them. They must have been mortified when they awoke and found Peter gone. Sometimes when a prisoner managed to escape, the guards would receive the punishment that the prisoner was to receive.
The angel instructed Peter to wrap his long garment into his belt and to strap on his sandals because the two of them were about to make a hasty escape. Peter wasn’t sure that this was really happening. Was it real or was he only dreaming? Dreams can seem real. Being awakened suddenly from a deep sleep can cause one to be somewhat disoriented. I am reminded of a high school classmate who fell asleep in class, woke up suddenly with a grunt and said, “I woke up and didn’t know where I was!” while everyone stared at him. His disoriented state shouldn’t have surprised anyone for he had quit school, joined the military, and served a tour in Viet Nam before coming home and returning to high school.
Peter continued to follow the angel past the first and second wards. The two guards at the cell door somehow were made completely oblivious to Peter and the angel as they walked right passed them. The two of them made it past the first and second guard posts without being seen. The next step was to get through the iron gate at the entrance to the prison. It miraculously opened by God’s hand just like He parted the Red Sea, the Jordan River, and calmed a terrific storm at sea. Peter and the angel walked out onto the street. In a few moments, the angel disappeared as suddenly as he came, leaving Peter alone, but he wasn’t really alone. The Holy Spirit was with him. He would lead Peter to his next destination. None of us who have surrendered to Christ are ever alone. We might get lonely for human companionship, but the Holy Spirit lives with us 24/7 and is always ready to keep us company.
Did all of this just happen out of the blue? Was there anything going on in the background that may have contributed to this great escape? Indeed, there was. Acts 12:5 tells us that believers in Christ were praying to God for Peter without ceasing. I can picture within the walls of the church, but more likely within the walls of someone’s home or maybe the homes of several believers where folks were gathered around the clock praying for Peter. God acts on the prayers of the righteous. If we desire to see some miracles concerning our nation and world, we must pray without ceasing. James 5:16b tells us that the “effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Did you catch those caveats there? The prayer that produces results is the prayer that is intense, earnest, and passionate prayed by one who is right before God. Perhaps that is why we don’t always see the results we desire when we pray. That’s something to consider.