One of the lessons that the Church of God needs to learn in our time is the value and power of the Church at Prayer! Allow me to use two extracts on prayer from great men of prayer of not too long ago.
(1) Hutson Taylor: When Hutson Taylor was sailing to China to begin his missionary work, his ship was in great danger. The wind had died, and the current was carrying them toward sunken reefs which were close to islands inhabited by cannibals—so close they could see them building fires on the shore. Everything they tried was to no avail. In his journal, Taylor recorded what happened next:
The Captain said to me, “Well, we have done everything that can be done.” A thought occurred to me, and I replied, “No, there is one thing we have not done yet.” “What is that?” he queried. “Four of us on board are Christians. Let us each retire to his own cabin, and in agreed prayer ask the Lord to give us immediately a breeze.”
Taylor prayed briefly and then, certain that the answer was coming, went up on the deck and asked the first officer to let down the sails.
“What would be the good of that?” he answered roughly. I told him we had been asking a wind from God; that it was coming immediately.
Within minutes the wind did began to blow, and it carried them safely past the reefs. Taylor wrote:
Thus God encouraged me ere landing on China’s shores to bring every variety of need to Him in prayer, and to expect that He would honor the name of the Lord Jesus and give the help each emergency required.
(2) E. M. Bounds:
What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer.
A moving story and an important directive to all Churches. We need to be in prayer!
Ac 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
1) God answers prayer according to His will, not necessary according to our stated prayers and certainly not when we demand or state the way we want prayers answer may only be as we want it answered. Beloved, we must remember that God is sovereign and that He and only He determines how everything pans out. That is His right and privilege. Our right and privilege is to pray to Him seeking help, guidance and advice.
2) God’s answer to the Church’s earnest prayers.
Ac 12:6 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. 7 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. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 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. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
Here we have part one of the answer to prayer.
(1) The backdrop. The dungeon is dark, wet, depressive and dreary. There are double chains from soldier to prisoner on the one side and the same on the other. Two soldiers are keeping guard at the doorways. The prison gate is securely locked. Citizens in Jerusalem are eagerly anticipating blood. Herod as king longs for the applause and praise from the people. All the believers are watching in prayer. The night is totally silent … and Peter is sleeping peacefully under the good hand of God.
(2) An angel appears. This servant coming from the presence of Almighty God radiated the Holy Light of God in that dark and dreary prison cell. Although the word used for “struck” (sometimes translated as hit or strike) normally means harsh punishment, in this case it means to wake Peter from his deep, peaceful sleep, and immediately. He awoke to hear the angel saying:
Ac 12:7 “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him.
Haste was required because danger was imminent should the soldiers wake. The miracle here is that the chains from him on either side that attached him to the soldiers fell off … without the soldiers feeling it or waking up. Telling him to dress and cover himself so that should someone wake they would not recognize him … the angel escorted him out of the prison:
Ac 12:9 Peter followed him out of the prison.
He followed all the way out of confinement, right into the city.
Ac 12:10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it.
What is significant is that Peter
Ac 12:9 … had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.
Suddenly he was alone as the angel departed. Did the Church ask for Peter’s release in this fashion? Very unlikely … but they were praying and this is the first part of God’s answer to their prayer. Charles Wesley wrote a stirring hymn known as “And can it be.” He seems to have written soon after his conversion on 21 May 1738. He had known the Bible very well before he was saved and penned the words …
Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee.
In using the gist of Acts 12:7 he wrote the forth stanza of the hymn. Peter was release miraculously from the dungeon through the prayers of the Church. Charles Wesley was saved miraculously through (I believe) the prayers of his mother, Susanna Wesley. History tells us that she prayed at midday with her apron thrown over her head so that her 10 remaining children would not distract her. Charles wrote many great hymns that are still used throughout the world today. People who spend time in personal prayer are people who will find others to pray with too. Let’s return to the Church’s Prayer Meeting. Have you been there? Do you participate? Or … does the Prayer Meeting not exist? If not what are you doing about it?
O God, thank You for the gift of Prayer. Thank You that You call us to pray. Help us to be people of prayer and guide us to participate in our Church’s Prayer Meeting. Amen.