Thoughts and Prayers

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading, titled Thoughts and Prayers, was written by John Blaise.

You'll be in my thoughts and prayers. If you hear those words, you might wonder if the person really means it. But you never had to wonder when Edna Davis said them.

Everyone in the small, one-stop-light town knew of Miss Edna's yellow legal pad, page after page, lined with name after name. Early each morning, the aging woman prayed out loud to God. Not everyone on her list received the answer to the prayer they wanted, but several testified at her funeral that something God-sized had happened in their life, and they credited it to the earnest prayers of Miss Edna. God demonstrated the power of prayer in Peter's prison experience in the book of Acts.

After the apostle was seized by Herod's men, thrown into prison, and then guarded by four squads of four soldiers each, his prospects looked bleak. But the church was earnestly praying to God for him. They had Peter in their thoughts and prayers. What God did is simply miraculous. An angel appeared to Peter in prison, released him from his chains, and led him to safety beyond the prison gates. It's possible some may use thoughts and prayers without really meaning it, but our Father knows our thoughts, listens to our prayers, and acts on our behalf according to his perfect will. To be prayed for and to pray for others is no small thing when we serve the great and powerful God.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Acts chapter 12, verses 4 through 11. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. Quick, get up, he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. Then the angel said to him, put on your clothes and sandals, and Peter did so. Wrap your cloak around you and follow me, the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city.

It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen. Let's pray. Jesus, thank you for the opportunity we have to bring the needs of others to you. When we commit to praying for others, may we be faithful to do so. Thank you for the reassurance that when we pray, you listen and are faithful to meet our every need. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. I'm Stephen and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.