“But the angles of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together…” (KJV, Acts 5:19-21).
“But the angel of the Lord”
Father, You are a God Who watches over Your people. Throughout Your Word, You have shown me that You care for Your people through Your angelic host. After Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, angels came and ministered to Him. Let me never forget that I am in a spiritual battle and that You have sent angels to minister to me and help me along the way.
I often grow weak and tired. I am often met with discouragement and failure. The enemy sometimes gets the upper hand as he accuses me, and I believe his lies. Let me never forget how Jesus rebuked the enemy when he accused Joshua. Let me never forget that You will send an army of angels to encamp around me when needed, much like You did during the days of Elisha.
“by night”
You are a God Who works in mysterious ways. I find that during my days, You are at work, but at the same time, You are hard to figure out. Your ways are above my ways, and Your thoughts are above my thoughts. You have told me that You work all things for my good, but it is hard for me to see how You do it. As a result, I am forced to believe and trust in Your will and plan for my life. You are truly a God Who chooses to work at times by night.
There is a mysterious element to the way that You work. Jesus taught the people in parables so that while seeing, they would not see, and while hearing, they would not hear. There is a way in which You have made Yourself known, and there is a way in which you have chosen to hide and dwell in thick darkness.
“opened the prison doors”
You are a God Who opens the prison doors. I see in the life of Peter and John that You opened the prison doors for them to walk through. You specialize in picking locks and bursting bars. I cannot thank You enough for taking me out of the prison of unbelief. I cannot offer You sufficient praise for the redemption that You paid in Christ Jesus to ransom me from my enslavement to sin and Satan.
You alone can deliver me from prison. You alone have made a way so that I could walk in freedom. Help me walk in the newness of life that You have granted me.
“and brought them forth”
When You sent the angel of the Lord to free Peter and John, the Bible tells me that the angel opened the prison doors. However, the angel also brought them forth. Father, I pray that You would take me by the hand and lead me. I thank You that You have not simply delivered me from bondage but guided me along the way.
I would never be able to make it if all You did was open the door for me. I need You every day, and I see in John chapter 15 that I cannot do good apart from the Vine. Jesus, would you show me my need for You this day? Would You increase my faith and help me to take hold of Your hand by faith?
“and said, Go”
While You have promised to lead me, You have also told me, “Go.” When You commissioned Your disciples at the end of the book of Matthew, you told them to go out into all the world and make disciples of the nations. You have called me to action.
I pray that You would fill me with the strength to heed Your call. Equip me with what is needed for my calling and help me to honor You in it. You have told me that I am an ambassador for You and that You make Your appeal through me.
“stand and speak in the temple to the people”
Father, I see that You gave Peter and John two critical commands. The second command was to speak in the temple to the people. I imagine this would have come as a test for both of these men. Peter and John were just thrown in prison by an angry mob. At the very least, there would have been some in the mob responsible for the crucifixion of Christ.
The first command was that You told them to stand. In other words, You told them to hold their position and not to retreat. There is no room for fear in God’s army. To take up the whole armor of God means that the Christian must get ready for war. There is no indication in Your Word that when You have called the Christian to fight, he must retreat.
“all the words of this life”
I also see that You desired Peter and John to preach the words of this life. The “words of this life” are nothing short of the Gospel message with Christ as the focus of attention. Jesus has come and has offered life to all who would accept Him as Lord and Savior.
But John told us in his Gospel that Jesus came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. However, for those who did receive Jesus and believed in the name of Christ, Jesus gave them the right to be called children of God.
“And when they heard that”
Father, You gave Peter and John a command, and they heard it. I pray that You would also open my ears to hear Your voice. You have been gracious to me thus far and have helped me to understand Your Word. Nonetheless, I recognize that I continually need to hear Your voice. I continually need bread to eat, much like the Israelites who depended on the manna you gave them each day.
“they entered into the temple early in the morning”
When You opened the prison doors for Peter and John, took them by the hand, and led them out, it was night. You gave them a command to go into the temple to stand and preach Your Word. Here I see that they obeyed quickly and without delay. The Bible tells me that they went into the temple early in the morning. The first opportunity they had to obey Your command was in the early morning when people would have been arriving at the temple. What an excellent example they have set before me in Your Word.
“and taught”
John and Peter taught the people in the temple. I pray that You would help me to learn Your Word so I could also teach Your Word. While some will be gifted with the ability to teach, Your Word makes it clear that You would desire for the Christian to be able to talk about Your Word.
Help me to learn Your Word and give me wisdom in my studies. Help me to retain that which You show me and not lose it after only a short while.
“But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together…”
When Peter and John shared Your Word with others, they were met with opposition. Let me never forget that persecution will come for the faithful. You have warned me that the closer I get to Jesus, the more resistance I will need to endure. However, I am also told to rejoice and be glad, for the prophets were persecuted before me, and the kingdom of heaven is mine.
Thank You for the example of Jesus. As I seek to be like Christ, I must never only seek to be like a part but the whole of Jesus. He bore His cross; help me to bear mine. In Jesus’ name, Amen.