“So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.” Acts 12:5

I read Acts 12 this morning, and Peter’s imprisonment stood out to me in a different light. Have we ever considered sin a prison? I think about some of the people I know who are living in sin and their imprisonment to sin can be worse than a physical jail. I’m not talking about sin that a legalist would judge, but sin that withholds them from keeping a job or having a productive marriage. What really strikes me was the “earnest prayer,” and the church’s surprise of Peter getting out of prison. First, is earnest prayer our go to for when we see a fellow man struggling in life? Second, are we expecting their deliverance from sin? Lastly, will we celebrate by giving God the glory for his work of grace in a broken life

Take time to lift up your neighbors, and friends in prayer. Pray a prayer of faith that God is ready and able to send his angels to direct their path and free them from bondage just as he did in Peter’s life. Pray that they will recognize God in the midst of their struggle. Above all, don’t be surprised when they are set free from the prison of sin! God is able.