 | Acts 12:5 "Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him."
Trusting vs. Waiting
Is there a difference between trusting God and waiting on God? In Acts 12, Peter was in prison, and the Bible says that "prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him." Peter had a specific need, and the believers were persistent in making prayer for him. In your life today, what do you need and what are you making? Are you making a plan? A protest? A petition?
Trusting God is something you can do when you know how God could or might answer your prayer. In the back of your mind, you have an idea of how God might answer your prayer. Waiting on God is an entirely different matter! Waiting on God is trusting God even when you cannot see how He is going to answer. What should you do when you are waiting on God? Submissively and persistently pray for what you need!
Notice what characterized the prayer that was made for Peter. "But prayer was made without ceasing. . . ." Let me ask you a couple of questions: Did these people have great faith? Did they know exactly how God was going to answer? They had undoubtedly prayed the same way for James, but Herod killed James (verse 2). Later in this story, they were so busy praying for Peter that they were surprised when Rhoda said he was at the door!
You might not have the faith you wish you had, but you should act on the faith you do have. Start by asking God for what you need--prayer is exercising the faith you have! When you are waiting on God, pray persistently until God answers or shows you otherwise.
Do you know became of all of this? Verse 24 says, "But the word of God grew and multiplied." God's power is not diminished, and when we wait on Him and ask persistently, our world can be changed the same way in was in the book of Acts!
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