In Acts 12, Peter was imprisoned by King Herod. Thousands in Jerusalem were getting saved through the mighty works of God, with reverberations throughout the city—and Herod felt threatened. Of course, whenever God moves supernaturally through his people, it enrages the enemy. Satan had already stirred Herod to kill James, a leader in the church alongside his brother John and Peter.
Now Herod leveled his sights on Peter. “When (Herod) saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. He planned to make a point by executing the boldest believer right at Easter, the church’s most sacred observance. He thought he could frighten the Christians into silence. “[Herod] put him in prison … intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people” (12:4). Herod was going to martyr Peter in a public display.
Peter’s story reveals the kind of spiritual prison Satan uses to lock down God’s people. The word “seized” in this passage doesn’t just mean “grabbed,” it signifies a power far beyond our own. Peter was not just under the arrest of a governmental principality, he was locked down by a spiritual power that was manipulating a powerful man for demonic ends.
Perhaps you are familiar with this kind of spiritual prison; you may even be in one. You think, “Lord, I’ve prayed a thousand times but nothing ever changes. How will I ever be free?” Or you may be praying for a loved one who is in the grip of bondage or addiction.
But in the very next verse we see something that changes everything! “Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church” (12:5).
A small band of humble men and women held a prayer meeting and the thickest prison walls didn’t stand a chance against their prayers. With one whisper from an angel, the enemies of God in the prison fell so deeply asleep that they didn’t hear Peter tiptoe through the open cell door (see 12:6-7).
Fervent, effectual prayer moves God to open iron gates and set captives free. I urge you to keep praying earnestly — for your loved ones and for everyone you meet. Jesus is ready to amaze us all with his saving, delivering, transforming love!