Daily Devotion

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Acts 12:9-17 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision... Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating." When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!" "You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel." But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished...     This passage is very interesting. Peter went to find his brothers and sisters when he got out of jail. At that time the people were fervently praying that Peter will be released from prison. When the servant girl Rhoda came to the door and saw Peter, she rushed back to tell everyone.  Unfortunately, the people who were praying told her she must be out of her mind.  Although the people were praying all night for God to save Peter, they could not believe it when they saw Peter standing in front of them. Is this not exactly a portrayal of the church today? Although we come before God and pray, we do not believe that God will answer according to what we ask, when God can really accomplish everything far more than we can ask or imagine. This is particularly true for the North American Christians.  We are often trapped by our logic and reasoning, and hence we do not talk about miracles or believe in them.  As such, we do not experience God's miracle. We need to pray for God's mercy, that He will open our eyes to see that God is still a miracle-working God. May God give us the confidence to believe by faith, and not by sight.  Do you believe that God hears our prayer? Every time when you bring your needs before Him, God not only hears your prayers, but will answer them as well. Once you have this certainty and assurance, you will find that your prayer life will come alive.  Prayer will no longer be just an emotional expression, or just mere ramblings.  Your prayer comes before the God Almighty, and He can accomplish more than all that you can ask or imagine, according to his glorious riches. As long as you truly believe in Him, your prayers will be vibrant and dynamic, and God will answer them.     Pray with Pastor Tong Liu      Lord, you are such a wonderful and great God. You delight in accomplishing all that we ask in our lives beyond what we ask or imagine. We praise you and give you all the glory. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!