Acts 12:1-5 (ESV Strong's)
1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
Meet Persecution with Prayer
In Ephesians 6 we are told to put on the armor of God that we might be able to “stand” against the “schemes” of Satan. We are told that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against “the rulers and the authorities and the cosmic powers over this present darkness.” Paul then tells the church at Ephesus to take up the “armor” of God. The last piece he mentions is prayer:
Ephesians 6:18 (ESV Strong's)
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
The above passage in Acts is an example of the use of the armor of prayer. James, the brother of John, was crucified by the schemes of Satan through the hands of King Herod. Herod was simply Satan’s tool. Jesus had warned the disciples that after His departure they would be attack from without and from within:
Matthew 10:16-18 (ESV Strong's)
16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.
With Peter still locked up, however, the church turned to prayer for his release. The rest of chapter twelve gives us the unfolding of the answer to their prayer. Peter is miraculously set free and the church is embolden and the gospel is advanced. In the midst of their sorrow over James, the church falls to its knees to plead with God in prayer. This might be a lesson few want to learn. To get them to their knees, something had to happen in the sorrow of their hearts. This is often how God works in our lives. God, sometimes, has to allow something we love to be taken for us to pick up that piece of armor that He gives. Prayer is the power that most believers have untapped. God wants to use the power of prayer to do His will and bring Himself glory through our persecution and suffering. This is one thing the above story about James and Peter teaches us. Prayer is the place we go for power during persecution.
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