信心的祈求
使徒行传十二章1至11节
1那时，希律王下手苦害教会中几个人，
2用刀杀了约翰的哥哥雅各。
3他见犹太人喜欢这事，又去捉拿彼得。那时正是除酵的日子。
4希律拿了彼得，收在监里，交付四班兵丁看守，每班四个人，意思要在逾越节后把他提出来，当着百姓办他。
5于是彼得被囚在监里；教会却为他切切的祷告神。
6希律将要提他出来的前一夜，彼得被两条铁链锁着，睡在两个兵丁当中；看守的人也在门外看守。
7忽然，有主的一个使者站在旁边，屋里有光照耀，天使拍彼得的肋旁，拍醒了他，说：快快起来！那铁链就从他手上脱落下来。
8天使对他说：束上带子，穿上鞋。他就那样作。天使又说：披上外衣，跟着我来。
9彼得就出来跟着他，不知道天使所作是真的，只当见了异象。
10过了第一层第二层监牢，就来到临街的铁门，那门自己开了。他们出来，走过一条街，天使便离开他去了。
11彼得醒悟过来，说：我现在真知道主差遣他的使者，救我脱离希律的手和犹太百姓一切所盼望的。
信息分享
当读到今天这段经文时，也许立即勾起某些人的反应，质疑神为何容让自己受苦，却又帮助别人解困。当我们落入艰难困苦的境况时，也许最好先反省一个问题：「神究竟想我从中学到甚么功课呢？」有些时候，当我们开始认真去学习神要我们去学的功课，神就会逐渐改变客观的环境，为我们打开出路。神的计划，可能是要借着困境来使我们作出某些改变，因此，当我们开始作出改变之后，困境便可能迎刃而解。
这段经文的另一个重点是在第5节：教会切切为彼得祷告，求神拯救他。信徒同心合意的祈祷，尤其是对神满有信心的祷告，确实是大有功效的。
当然，真正的祷告永远是「在神的面前」恳切祈求。当们面对危难或挫败的经历时，往往会猛然醒觉，我们如果离开了神，便甚么也不能作。我们若希望祷告产生果效，就必须与神保持美好的相交。
而且，祷告不要流于空泛，要确切地将真正的需要带到神的面前。请留意，经文中的信徒并非无的放矢地祷告，反之，他们是确切地为到彼得的安危代求，而神最终亦垂听和应允了他们的祷告。
许多时候，我们确实只能凭着信心祷告，不知道神的计划最终要怎样。然而，我们只要全心全意地信靠神，并为到内心的逼切需要向神祈求，神终必垂听。我们也许需要等候一段时间，才能得到神的回应；而神的回应也许并不如我们所求；可是，我们必须切记：爱我们的神，总必把最好的给予祂的儿女。主啊，求你教导我们祷告。
ONE DIED, ONE DELIVERED
Acts 12: 1 - 11
1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.
2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread.
4 So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.
5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.
6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.
7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands.
8 Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.”
9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”
Message
Perhaps someone reading this page today has been unable to understand why they have been allowed to suffer while others have not. In those circumstances it is always good to ask this question, 'What does God want me to learn from all of this?' Sometimes when we begin to really learn the lesson God has for us, he then changes our circumstances. When the planned change begins in us, often the situation changes too.
The other point to notice in our reading today is found in verse 5. Prayer was made by the church unto God for him. There is tremendous power in the united prayer of God's people, especially when they really lay hold of God for the special thing they are asking for.
True prayer of course is always 'unto God'. Sometimes we need to be reminded that without him we can do nothing. If we want what prayer can do, then we have to be truly in touch with God.
Prayer was very definite, too. Notice it says 'for him'. They were not praying general prayers which went round the world and back again. They were praying definitely for Peter - a particular person - and God heard and answered.
Sometimes we have to pray in faith, not knowing just what God will do. But when we put our trust in him and definitely ask him for that which is on our hearts, he will always answer. We may have to wait. His answer may not be what we wanted or asked for, but it will be for our best good. Lord, teach us to pray.