But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed earnestly for him. … So Peter left the cell, following the angel.
— Acts 12:1-19
It was truly a crossroad moment in my life: Business or ministry?
Graduation left me no more time to ponder.
My conversations with God were intense, long and passionate.
What, Lord? Where, Lord? When, Lord?
My heart’s tuner was dialed in.
One day, as I walked through the business school hallway, I stood in the intersection of two hallways.
Time stood still.
My heart reverberated with the Lord’s words, “You don’t belong here.”
Peter’s jail cell was secure.
Four groups of guards were on duty.
They were, however, no match for the group that was crying out to God on his behalf.
An angel showed up. Chains fell off. Guards stayed asleep. Locked doors were opened.
Peter went to his more than surprised prayer support team.
Shortly after this event, the king who put him in prison came under God’s judgment.
Why is it a rarity for the word “passionate” to describe our conversations with God?
We’ve prayed and the circumstances did not change. We’ve pleaded for and didn’t receive. The devil’s lie that talking with God makes no difference has felt so true, we’ve internalized it without hesitation.
I hope one day I truly understand that prayer is ultimately about the one to whom I am talking and not what he does or doesn’t do.
Even if
The officer assisting the king said to the man of God,”That couldn’t happen even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven!” But Elijah replied,”You will see it happen, but you won’t be able to eat any of it!”
— 2 Kings 7:2
“You’ll never be able to do that even if you tried all day.”
Those words, in my younger years, would almost always elicit the “You wanna bet!” response from me.
This moment was no different. A front flip off a long rope swing, starting from a high platform into a lake. No problem!
I was going to do it even if it killed me, which it nearly did. After several painful near misses, I pulled it off, much to everyone’s surprise, including mine.
Our verse above is from a scene of a city in crisis. Under siege, the people were slowly starving.
The king of Israel was inattentive to the word of God. His nation suffered as a result. As a powerful expression of grace, God’s prophet Elisha was there to bring the amazing news that God would deliver them the next day.
The king’s servant said that it couldn’t happen, even if God rolled down the windows of heaven. The impossible passed him by.
We may not be standing on a high platform today or wasting away from starvation, but we are on the invitation list to experience the impossible in our lives.
Jesus told his followers they would be a part of things greater than they had seen him do.
Wow! God is not limited in power.
Why is it, then, that we struggle so often to trust his word?
Mountains will keep moving.
The only question left is, “Will we or won’t we experience it?”
Wiles is senior minister of Fall Creek Christian Church in Pendleton. He can be reached at 765-778-3166.