Earnest Prayer

"So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him."
Acts 12:5 

The story of Peter's escape from prison is one of my favorites. Having been put in prison for preaching about Jesus, he was bound in chains between two guards. There were guards at the doors as well. The situation looked bleak as Herod attempted to squash the growing early church. But there was something that Herod had not counted on...The church was praying.
    It is a passion of mine to not only pray, but to teach the church to do so. I believe the power of prayer is beyond any earthly power. It is responsible for bringing the will of God to the earth and establishing his kingdom here. So we have a great responsibility. I wonder what would have happened to Peter if the church had not been praying? But he was delivered miraculously from prison because of the prayers of the saints. The same power that brought his deliverance is available to us today. It is the power of prayer. 
    Maybe the key word in the scripture above is, "earnestly." The church was not casually praying. They weren't just launching an occasional prayer toward heaven. They were engaged in prayer. I believe they were together when they were praying, because when Peter was delivered, he found several together in one house. There is an amazing power that takes place when a group of people gather to pray. When there is a specific need, the will of God is released into that situation and answers come. It takes a level of pressing in to the throne room of God. It requires a commitment to not stop until something happens. This is the kind of prayer that accomplishes great things. 
    If we will make a new commitment to pray and press in, we will see the same kinds of miracles that the early church saw. God has not changed his mind about us. He has not stripped us of the power and authority he gave us. It is the same today as it was then. The difference is; we don't always exercise that power and authority in prayer. We are called to be people of prayer. It is good for us to pray unceasingly, and it is powerful for us to gather together for the purpose of prayer. Perhaps it's time to go back to the days of prayer meetings. I wonder what it would be like if we gathered to pray for a specific purpose and didn't give up until the answer came. When people see the answer, they would have to say: "The church was earnestly praying."