Prisoners of hope - Always ready

The example of Peter being freed from prison by the angel in Acts chapter 12 was a powerful sovereign act of God through angels. Peter was suffering a threat to his life. Herod had just imprisoned and beheaded James and had now imprisoned Peter. But Peter, who was not always ready, was now ‘ready’.

Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death).”

Jesus had cause to mention Satan a couple of times to Peter. Once was when Peter told Jesus he did not have to go to the cross. Jesus said ‘get behind me Satan’. Peter didn’t like the idea of suffering (then), but he learned to treasure it. God let Paul have his dealings with Satan also. Paul was buffeted (2Cor 12:7) and hindered (1Thess 2:18) by Satan – but he was never stopped by him because he had authority over the demonic powers of the region –
Acts 19:15 Jesus I know and Paul I recognize but who are you…

Peter had no idea that God was testing his faith. All he could hear was his own fear speaking when he denied The Lord three times – I might go to jail, I might be killed, I might lose my reputation. Peter lived in the stronghold of his fearful mind and he suffered unnecessarily. He had wrong expectations of himself and of God, and of many other things. Peter had to go through intense suffering to be awakened to spiritual reality – Three times Jesus asked Peter ‘do you love me?’ and three times Jesus commissioned his ministry. Then Peter becomes the message of the virtue of suffering in his epistles. Peter learned to live in the prison of hope.

1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds to be ready for action (not reaction), and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

God wants gracious action to flow from our lives – not reaction. That peace and gracious flow comes from a place of settled hope and right expectation. Whatever fear you might be living in right now in the stronghold of imagination does not have to separate you from faith and trust in God, and from the peace that God wants for your life. It awakens you to expel it and hear God. That awakening prepares you for awareness and action, always ready to respond knowing that God is always involved in every aspect of our lives.