How many of you would admit you’re a bit of a "fixer" like me? If there’s a problem, I’ve got a tool for it. If there’s a conflict, I’ve got a plan for it. I don’t need a professional; I’ve got YouTube. I like to fix things, or at least try. But sometimes in my effort to fix things, I end up at a dead end. A professional would have been better, but my pride and impatience win.
And isn't that exactly where life likes to take us sometimes? You’ve tried to talk it out, you’ve tried to work harder, you’ve tried to "sword-swing" your way through the tension we see in our culture or the stress in your home—and you’ve realized: I am stuck. Well, if that’s you today, I’ve got some good news. You are in the perfect position for a miracle.
We are in Week 3 of our series, looking at the life of Peter. We’ll be in Acts 12 today, but so far we’ve seen Peter sleeping when he should have been praying, and fighting when he should have been trusting. But now, years later, Peter is in a situation where he can’t fight and he can’t run. He’s in a maximum-security prison.
Acts 12:5-7: "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 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."
I want you to see the transformation in Peter. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he was anxious and impulsive. But here, facing execution the next morning, what is he doing? He’s snoring! He is so sound asleep an angel has to literally hit him to wake him up.
This isn't the sleep of laziness; this is the sleep of surrender. Peter finally realized that his willpower couldn't break chains and his "sword" couldn't stop Herod. He stopped trying to be the hero of his own story.
But check out the most important word in verse 5: "BUT." "Peter was kept in prison, BUT the church was earnestly praying." When you reach your "dead end," God is just getting started. The problem you are trying to fix, the weight that you’ve been trying to carry—these are "prison cells" of fear and anger. And if we try to fix them with human effort, we just end up with more "sword-swinging."
The shift happens when we realize that our greatest weapon isn't our opinion, our vote, or our ability to "fix it." Our greatest weapon is earnest prayer. While Peter was helpless, the church was unified in prayer! They were reaching out to heaven, and heaven moved on earth.
We are all like Peter—chained by things we couldn't break, facing a "death sentence" of sin we couldn't escape. We couldn't "work" our way out of that cell. But Jesus came into our darkness. He took the strike we deserved so our chains could fall off. He didn't just give us a "fix-it" manual; He gave us freedom. Because He broke the ultimate chains of death, we don't have to live in fear of any "prison cell" in our lives today.
Today, as we head into prayer, we are going to be "The Church" from verse 5.
Surrender your "fix-it" list. Tell the Lord, "I’m putting down the wrench. I can’t fix this situation in my own strength." Let’s move from self-reliance to God-reliance.
Pray for the "Bound." Who do you know in St. Cloud or in your own family who is currently in a "prison"? Maybe it’s a prison of addiction, depression, or just being lost.
Pray for our City and State. Let’s ask God to send "angels" into the places of division and tension in Minnesota. Let’s pray that the "chains" of anger and misunderstanding would fall off as the Church prays earnestly.
We aren't praying for a maybe; we are praying from a place of victory. Let’s watch the chains fall today!