Acts 12:6-11 (ESV)

Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

Luke had to have written this account based on what Peter told him about the events of that night. Obviously, Peter said that what happened isn’t easy to explain because it was so overwhelming. He thought he was seeing a vision at the time but when he came to himself outside the iron gate leading into the city he realized it was all real. That, combined with the realization that he’d been delivered must have sent his emotions soaring. He praises God with the words, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

Remember, encounters with angels are generally terrifying. But Peter not only wasn’t terrified, he didn’t even wake up – even though an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. So, the angel struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” That’s hilarious. The angel can get chains to fall off, and gates to open themselves, but can’t get Peter to wake up without poking him.

And Peter doesn’t fully wake up until after the angel left him. He just plays along with this surreal experience, thinking it’s a vision and doing whatever the angel tells him to do. That seems to have been by design, given how people tend to overreact to the presence of angels. God mercifully prevented Peter from realizing what was happening to him until it was over, so he wouldn’t freak out and mess things up.

Sometimes God keeps us in the dark because we can’t handle the light.

Christians can struggle when God doesn’t grant a fervent prayer request. We’ve memorized all the words about how His ways are higher than our ways, but that’s small comfort in times of grief.

Then He often doesn’t grant the secondary prayer of letting us see why He didn’t grant the first one. That hurts even more. Today’s passage shows how that can be for the best.

So we’re left just asking for mercy and comfort. We’re never going to understand (in this life anyway) but at least we can get comfortable with not understanding. That’s the prayer for today. Who do you know that’s dealing with something that’s hard to accept? Ask the Lord to give them His peace.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies