Surely I Die

Dear friends,

Are you barely holding yourself together as your life seems to fall apart before your eyes, or do you know someone in this situation?

At times like these we feel powerless to change circumstances. So what do we do?

In Acts 12 we read that when Peter, that impetuous disciple of Jesus, found himself in prison yet again – this time in what surely must have seemed like his final death sentence – he simply fell asleep.

That’s right. Asleep. On the night before his big trial! What’s the lesson for us here? Surely anyone can fall asleep. We don’t know if he fell asleep out of fearful exhaustion or trust, all we know is that he “was asleep.” My guess is that he fell asleep out of exhaustion – thinking to himself, "Surely tomorrow I die."

Well, the good news is not what Peter did. It's what God did through the prayers of Peter's church family. It was the church that kept vigil for Peter during his imprisonment:

But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him. (Acts 12:5) (NLT)

Are you plugged into a body of believers that is willing to “pray very earnestly" for you when you are in your time of trial? Are you a willing member of a body who is willing to “pray very earnestly” for others in their time of trial?

One of the things I love about my parents is that they really know how to walk with people through difficult times. They keep praying and checking in until the situation is resolved. It’s such an enveloping sense of care.

That’s what the church is meant to be, like family that cries out to God for you when you’re all cried out – or when you’re so emotionally exhausted that all you can do is fall asleep.

Peter and the church got the shock of their lives when God actually did bust him out of prison! Both Peter and the servant girl thought they were dreaming at first!

Are you ready for God to start busting people loose in your church and setting people free?

I’d like to challenge you to call someone up this week and cry out to God with that person on behalf of someone else in the church who’s struggling. Imagine how encouraged you'd be if you found out that two brothers or sisters in Christ spent 30 minutes on the phone crying out to God for you? What a gift that would be! Are you willing to give that gift to your church? Are you willing to help make your church a place where that becomes the norm, simply because you're willing to step out in faith and see God move in power?

Let’s direct our answers to God in prayer: “Father God, we call out to you right now. Would you touch our hard hearts. Would you renew our desire to lift up our brothers and sisters as we step out in faith to pray for them with others in the church. Would you help our church to be a praying church that falls down on its knees before you as we bring one another boldly to your throne of grace. Lord, would you help me to take part in this ministry of prayer. I have your Spirit, but my flesh has not been willing. Forgive me for my apathy and unbelief. Help me to step out in faith this week to begin a new movement of God's grace in the church. In the Name of the Risen Lord Jesus we pray, Amen.”

Love and grace,

Your brother Jonathan