“Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. 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 12:5-75Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. 6And 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. 7And, 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 12:5‑7).
GOD is better than our faith. While it is true that He has said He will do for us “according to your faith,” nevertheless He is not restricted in the exercise of His lovingkindness by our failure to lay hold on His promises. The Church in Jerusalem prayed for Peter’s deliverance, but they had a very faulty apprehension both of God’s power and His readiness to hear and answer. At the best, perhaps, they hoped grace might be given the apostle to endure a long imprisonment with eventual deliverance, or to triumph in the hour of death. But while they prayed, God answered, and did exceeding abundantly above their asking or thinking. And so it often is today. Our faith at the best is a poor feeble thing. His grace is an all-sufficient dynamic energy that refuses to be restrained by the feebleness of our apprehension or the poverty of our expectation.
“There is an eye that never sleeps beneath the wing of night;
There is an ear that never shuts when sink the beams of light.
There is an arm that never tires when human strength gives
way;
There is a love that never fails, when earthly loves decay.
But there’s a power which man can wield when mortal aid is
vain.
That eye, that arm, that love to reach, that listening ear to
gain.
That power is prayer, which soars on high through Jesus to the
throne;
And moves the Hand which moves the world, to bring salvation down.”