EXPAND TO READ: ACTS 12 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 9): Although Peter did not know what he was experiencing was real in the moment, as he thought it was simply a spiritual vision, he remained faithful throughout. He experienced the Lord’s blessing and power, but initially through it was just a vision. I have often failed to immediately listen and follow Your “vision” for my life, Father. If Peter had acted the way I sometimes have in this moment, then he would not have been freed from prison and would have died the next day. As a result of his faithfulness and obedience to You, however, he was freed from the prison he was being held in and saved from Herod executing him the next day. Please forgive me for my frequent disobedience in following Your will for my life, Father. Forgive me for not always listening to what You want me to do in the moment and instead going my own fleshly ways. Help me to remember that Your ways are always better than my own, no matter how difficult or “impossible” they may seem in the moment.
PROMISE (verse 12): If it’s aligned with Your will for us, You are faithful to answering prayers. I feel this verse clearly acknowledges this promise and shows us the power of prayer amongst Your believers. There were several people gathered together at Mary’s house for the purpose of prayer and look who knocks at the door, Peter! They had been praying for Your intervention in Herod’s cruelty towards Peter and You answered them directly with presenting Peter to them, unharmed, at their door. It’s so amazing when we get to see the fruits of our prayers so directly and quickly like this. Thank You for the promise of answered prayers and even at times unanswered prayers, Father. Sometimes my prayer life is not the best of prayers for my spiritual life because I do not see things like You do. So, I am grateful for the unanswered prayers just as much as the answered prayers, because Your will, Your vision, Your timing is always better than my own.
ATTITUDE (verse 11): When Peter realized that what was happening to him was not simply a vision, he gave praise and honor to You, Father. He didn’t march around claiming “he” broke free from Herod’s prison or that “he” was the one who did any of this. He remained humble in his freedom blessing from You, but then also recognized that it was all You and not him that made it happen. The only thing he did was remained obedient to Your commands, then gave praise to You through it all. Help me to live in this way, Father. Help me to not only live in obedience to You, but to also live in a humble way that honors and glorifies You for all things that You have me do. I do not want those around me thinking I have done any of these things on my own if it’s something You had me do. My testimony is to glorify You through all things and point those around me to You at all times, so I ask that You constantly remind me that You are there and that You are directing things, even when I do not listen fully at times.
COMMAND (verse 7b): Quite a simple command that Peter follows here, yet one that is repeated quite often throughout scripture as I’ve realized in doing these quite time conversations with You, Father. These two words are repeated quite a bit in the scripture I’ve done for my quiet times so far—“GET UP.” I see this as a command because it requires us to take action on the things You want us to do in our lives. The words “get up” are the action as we are not to sit around and do nothing when You are telling us to do something. It’s a command because the first step we need to do with anything You tell us to do is to get up and begin to take action on whatever it is. Help me to be better at following the command to “get up” when I feel You directing me in a certain direction or with a certain action, Father. Help me to follow this command fully, so that I do not slack off in accomplishing what You want me to accomplish in this life.
EXAMPLE (verse 17): I love the example Peter shows us here. He doesn’t give any credit to himself throughout this. Instead, he points all of them back to You for his testimony. He not only shares his testimony about Your blessings to him for his freedom, but also instructs them to share what they have heard about Your amazing accomplishment in freeing him from Herod’s prison and from death. Help me to be better at sharing my testimony with others, Father. Help me to be better at telling my testimony in a way that glorifies You as Peter has done here. Also, help me to be better at reminding those I share my testimony with to share freely share this testimony with others. It is not my testimony to hold captive; rather it’s Your testimony that I am being used as a vessel to share with others. Thank You, Father, for the amazing testimony You’ve given to me in my life so far.
*DAILY NOTE: Thank You for today’s conversation, Father. The story of how You freed Peter from Herod’s prison and eventual death by Herod is an amazing story. The points You made on obedience, humility, and always pointing back to You through our testimony resounds deeply in my heart as I have failed at all three of these at different times throughout my faith. Please help me to be better at these, Father. Help me to always be obedient to Your direction in my life. Help me to always walk in humility so that others see You through me and not just me. Help me to always share my testimony in a way that glorifies You, but also in a way that others feel blessed and convicted to share the testimony with others. Help me to be the one that helps to expand Your kingdom in a way that always gives praise and honor to You, but also glorifies You through all things that You may have me do in this life, Father. Thank You for today’s conversation. I look forward to what the rest of the book of Acts has in store for me!
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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