Five Points About Prayer: Acts 12:5

Acts 12 recounts another miracle escape from prison by Peter. That’s the outward story, the public story. However, there is a inward, private story going on at the same time. It doesn’t get the same amount of space as Peter’s escape, but without this part of the story, Peter’s rescue may never have happened.

The inward, private story was taking place among the followers of Jesus gathered together in private rooms and houses all over the city of Jerusalem. In spite of the renewed persecution of the church in Jerusalem, the believers continued to gather together. One of the main reasons they gathered together was to pray.

Acts 12:5 says, “So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.” Here’s the one sentence in the whole chapter about the church praying for Peter’s release and wellbeing. However, there are five points made it that sentence which all of us should take to heart about prayer.

1. Prayer should be intense and purposeful, not casual or haphazard. I often do what I call “arrow prayers.” On the spot, at the moment, one-liner prayers lifted up to God while I’m on the go. I don’t think that kind of praying is wrong, but it shouldn’t be the kind of prayer we are involved in.

2. Prayer should be ongoing, continuous. That doesn’t mean that all of us are praying together all the time. I think it means that groups of people are praying and rotating in new people into the group as others have to go about the business of living. Someone should be praying at all times especially when there’s an urgent and important need.

3. Prayer should be made to God, the one and only true God. It should come from a genuine contact with the living God through Jesus Christ. Jesus told us this in John14:6 (“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” It is not meaningless, empty repetition to a vague God that has no real power. (Matthew 6:7-8)

4. Prayer should be specific, not vague. The believers in Jerusalem were praying specifically for Peter and his situation. They asked for exactly what they needed. (James 4:2-3)

5. Prayer should be communal, corporate, done together as a group. Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” God expected us to pray together. We were instructed to do so by Jesus. I think there are too many in our churches today who are unwilling to be involved in corporate prayer. They won’t pray out loud for whatever reasons when they are in groups. I wonder if they pray to God in private or if they are just so out of the practice of prayer, that they just don’t do it at all. I’m at fault in this, too. I do not encourage prayer in the groups I’m involved in because I don’t want to embarrass anyone. But I think we are missing out on seeing God work in mighty ways because we do not pray together enough.

Those are some thoughts about prayer. If you want to pray together, write me a comment or send me an email (thetootsierolllady@yahoo.com). I’d love to pray with you in one way or another.