But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. Acts 12:16 KJV
There was a story in which a man had gotten a permit to open the first tavern in a small town.
In this small town there were members of a local church that strongly opposed
They began to pray that God would intervene on their behalf.
A few days before the tavern was to open, lightning struck it and the structure burned to the ground.
Of course, the people were pleased.
God had answered their prayers.
That was until they received notice that they were being sued by the tavern owner.
He was suing them because he felt their prayers were responsible for the burning of the building.
The people denied the charge.
What the judge said at the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, says a lot about our prayer life.
The judge, in an amusing way said, “At this point I don’t know what my decision will be, but it seems that the tavern owner believes in the power of prayer and these church people don’t.”
We sometimes pray but don’t really expect much to happen.
But when it does, we should stand on it.
God has given us to ability to govern and discipline ourselves.
We should be choosing to believe and do things His way.
He has promised to perform and protect what He has begun.
In this passage these Christians met in prayer.
They were praying for Peter to be released from prison.
Peter was released.
He went to them and knocked on their door.
When they were told that Peter was knocking at the door, they didn’t believe it.
Peter continued knocking.
When they opened the door, they saw him and was astonished.
Showing that when we pray without expecting something to happen it may be unbelief in disguise.
When praying with hope in our hearts and according to God’s will, we will see Him work in us.
He has told us that men ought to always earnestly pray and not faint.
Prayer will help us fulfill the purpose He has regarding each of our lives.
A WORD OF PRAYER
Lord, we know as we keep waiting for mercy, we must continue to pray for it. Thank You for answering our prayers even when our faith is weak. We ask that You continue to increase our faith and help us to pray with more expectation in our hearts. Your purpose to fulfill.
In Jesus Name We Pray, Amen