Earnest Prayer.
 

Acts 12: 1 – 18 King Agrippa began to persecute some of the believers.

King Agrippa had James the brother of John killed. When he saw it pleased the people, he had Peter arrested. This was at Passover time.
He put Peter in prison and had him watched by 16 soldiers. Intending to put him on trial after the celebrations.

KJV Verse 5:  Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

In the following verses we read:

VV 6 – 15 Peters deliverance:
6 The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. 
7 Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. 
8 Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered.
9 So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. 
10 They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.
11 Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders[c] had planned to do to me!”
12 When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. 
13 He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. 
14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!”
15 “You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.”

KJV

16 But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.
17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.
18 Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.
 

I want us to notice three verses in this passage of scripture.

V5 and VV 16 & 17. And in particular, one word.

It is the word “But”.  There are bad BUTs and good BUTs.
 

KJV Verse 5:  Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

The word BUT generally negates or cancels everything that goes before it. And is generally accepted as a signal that the really important part of the sentence is coming up. When you use it most people listening to you will give more attention and more weight to what you say after you say BUT.
You hear it normally in statements such as: They think I am going to do this, BUT. I am going to do this.
I know I hurt you “BUT”. You deserved it.
I am sorry “BUT”. You annoyed me.
The But cancels out what is being said. When you use a BUT here it usually means an excuse is imminent.
It shows insincerity.
Each of these are bad BUT’s.

KJV Verse 5:  Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him

Because of this, In spite of this, Irrespective of this. The church prayed.
Here is a good BUT.
 

V5 Notice this is not just a repeated prayer like “now I lay me down to sleep.” Or “Our Father who art in heaven”.
Nor, was it individual or momentary prayer.
It was corporate prayer that was earnest and specific.
They had important things to be earnest about.
This was life and death. They had just seen that this was not just telling them they couldn’t speak about Christ. One of their number had been killed.
As far as they were concerned, Peter would be next.
However, in spite of this, they prayed. But they prayed.

Now, I know our situation is not as serious as this, at least not YET, and here’s my but.

But there are still things that we should be earnest about.
The difference between them and the average church today is that they felt the urgency and they prayed.
The average church today is content and unconcerned while being surrounded with problems of eternal consequences.
Luke says they were “earnestly praying.” Literally it could be translated “They were continually stretching themselves out.” This was no doubt some serious praying. This is the kind of praying that is necessary to advance the kingdom of God today.
 

In Eph 2 we have another good “but,” the Divine “but” of our salvation.
 

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 

Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 

Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 

Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 

But God.”  In spite of this fact. (Being dead in sin) (Despite the fact we followed Satan) (Despite us being children of wrath) This made all the difference. The “but” of Eph 2 and the “but” of Acts 12, illustrate both the divine and human energies involved in advancing the Kingdom of God.

In the Divine order of things prayer is the circumstantial cause of what is prayed for and realized.

God could have delivered Peter without the prayer meeting. But “Through prayer God gives humankind the dignity of what is called, limited causality.”
What this means is that Prayer contributes to the production of another event.

Otherwise, Why pray? It is the same as Why share the gospel.

We pray because we are told to. Because it is God’s preordained way of involving us in the outcome.
Just like preaching is God’s ordained way of bringing men to Himself.

How do we know which prayer God will answer? How do we know who God will add to the church?

It is our Privelige.
God could fulfil the “Great Commission” without our involvement, just in the same way, He could have delivered Peter  but He gives us the privilege of being involved, to give, to pray, to share the gospel and to sacrifice for His glory.

God is the first cause and ultimate cause of all things and He includes in His plan, what is called, instrumental and circumstantial causes.

It seems that it was harder for Peter to get into the prayer meeting that it was for him to get out of jail.
I wonder if God feels like it is harder to get His people praying that it is to get His preacher out of jail.
Notice what happened in v 16.

16 But Peter continued knocking:  In spite of them not answering.

The answer was just too good to be true.., “You’ve lost your mind!” they said to Rhoda V15.

Sometimes, it seems our prayers are not answered, sometimes we even wonder if God is even listening.
BUT, we need to continue knocking.

There is nothing that encourages the people of God more than God’s answer to prayer, especially when it is their own prayer that He has answered. In our prayer meetings we need to prayer for specific needs and to share the answers to those prayers.
Have we not seen this happen. Our prayers have been answered.
We know of many brothers and sisters, where our specific prayers have been answered.
 

We need to share the results of our prayers.

This is what Peter did. In spite of the astonishment. BUT HE. V17.

V15 “Thou art mad”. They didn’t believe it. This was Answer to prayer and yet they couldn’t believe it.
Is that what we are like. Do we expect results.

17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison.

What we need is:
Confidence in prayer, expectant, What does James say, “Not doubting”.

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
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