Below is a passage from the book of Acts. It is a familiar passage. It is a passage that provides us with a glimpse of the mighty power of God, and how He incorporates His angels into our lives. It is a passage about the unexpected!

Acts 12:5-19: “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” [Note they were in earnest prayer. We don’t know what they prayed, but I would have asked God to please intervene miraculously.] 

“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.” [A great example of what it looks like to trust and rest in the Lord in the midst of our challenges.]

“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. 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. 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.” [Interesting!] 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.” 

“Then Peter came to himself [It appears from these words that God had done something to keep Peter from putting his own thoughts into what was happening with his release. Peter did not need to be distracted, but to simply obey the angel.] and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.” [What an amazing experience of God’s power on Peter’s behalf. God has not changed.  He can still do miraculous deeds on our behalf.]

“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 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!” [We can chuckle at Rhoda’s not opening the door, but how many times might we do something similar?]

“You’re out of your mind,” they told her.” [Hadn’t they just been praying for God to help Peter? Why would they not believe the answer came in such an amazing way? I would think they would believe and have faith the next time they were told of a miraculous act by God! Do we expect God to do miraculous acts on our behalf? Are we ready for the unexpected from God? Why or why not?

Rhoda wouldn’t give up. I don’t know why she didn’t simply let Peter in! “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. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.” 

I’ve read this passage countless times before, but it was the following words that caught my attention:

“In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.”

I believe that had Peter not been in some sort of stupor as the angel was leading him out, he may have been sidetracked by the thought of the execution of the guards. He would have understood that execution was their fate for his escape.

But God didn’t want that to happen. 

God’s plan was to use Peter to proclaim the Gospel to many.

This doesn’t mean God didn’t love those soldiers. It doesn’t mean they didn’t have the opportunity to make a commitment to God that would have immediately ushered them into His presence at the moment of their deaths. After all, they had heard Peter’s words. We don’t know, but I would presume Peter would have encouraged them to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 

No one expected Peter to walk out of that jail cell and disappear that night. The guards were not expecting to die the next day.

None of us knows the day or hour we will be called from this life.

Are you ready to meet Jesus? He is the only way to eternal life. Without Jesus you will end up separated from God, in Hell, for all eternity. 

Please, don’t miss this opportunity to make a true commitment to Jesus. 

If I can help you turn your life over to Jesus please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2025 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.