Acts 12:1-5

“1. Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. 2. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) 4. And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. 5. Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.”

Today, turkey hunting is a lot of fun. No matter how many birds you’ve killed, every bird acts different and you don’t always kill the one your after. When I was in high school I had a friend take me on my very first turkey hunt. We hunted Ohio and West Virginia in a 5 day period with lots of excitement, but no filled tags. We saw hens, heard the gobblers singing, but never laid our eyes on a redhead. As I went my second year I did not hear as much gobbling and never had one close call. Turkey hunting was a new thing for me and after two years with no success I was thinking about quitting. The thought of getting rid of my turkey gear was weighing heavy on my mind, but the third season, I decided I would give it one more shot. The college I was attending was at the heart of Wayne National Forest, which offers opportunity to thousands of acres of public land. On opening day of turkey hunting I took my first bird shortly off the roost. I missed him the first shot, but flopped him on the second. I was at the hunting store later that morning and found a nice orange backpack for carrying out your dead bird (I still use it today 18 years later). The next morning I went out with a friend right at daylight, but not much happened. I had to get to a lecture class that morning so we only had a few hours to hunt. As class ended I looked at the time and knew I could get to my hunting area before 12 noon hits. With 45 minutes of hunting left, I made a few yelps to let them know I was ready to go. A short distance away, a gobbler sounded off and in a matter of minutes, two gobblers and a hen crested the hill. It again took me two shots to knock the bird down. I hit the gobbler on the first shot this time, but I learned that 2 3/4″ shells are not the best for turkey hunting. What a way to start the season. Two birds in two days! I’ve been hooked ever since. Had I quit, I would have never experienced that excitement in filling my first two turkey tags.

So how is your walk with God? Do you ever quit to soon? Lets look at a very important phrase found in verse 5, “…but prayer was made without ceasing…” Peter is in a tough place; there is a possibility he will lose his life if he is presented to the Jews. There is no way out for him, He is chained to two soldiers, additional, there are two more soldiers guarding him, not to mention he is at the heart of the prison facility. This is about the highest security they would put on someone, but it was just a small thing to our God. If you continue reading you will see how God delivered Peter. He sent an angel to loose his chains and escort him to freedom. It really gets good after this; Peter shows up at the house of these praying church members, a young lady recognizes his voice at the door, but instead of opening it, she runs into the house to tell everyone that Peter is here. Remember, they were praying without ceasing! Acts 12:15-16 “And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, it is his angel. But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.” So here you have a church praying constantly with great faith, but then they stand in disbelief when God does something impossible. Faith makes things possible, not easy, but when God shows up, its hard to believe! How is your prayer life today? Do you quit? Do you give up to soon? God wants to have the glory in our lives for how we live. He allows difficult situations and sometimes impossible situations in our lives because He wants to show us how big He really is! We must stay diligent and we must keep the faith! I Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.” God is going to move in your life in ways you never thought possible, but you must keep praying! If I would have quit turkey hunting, I would have never experienced that heart pounding success I had that third season of turkey hunting! DONT QUIT, DONT GIVE UP! Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” What are your circumstances today? What are you praying about? If God has not made things clear to you, keep praying and keep waiting!

Memory Verse Week 4/11/21

Psalm 27:14

“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”