When The Answer Is Knocking
Learning To Recognize The Goodness Of Abba
“So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” Acts 12:5
While They Were Praying
Peter is in prison, chained between guards, while his friends are gathered in a home earnestly praying for him.
During the night, an angel wakes Peter, his chains fall off, the prison doors open, and Peter walks out. Peter himself isn't quite sure what just happened until he's standing safely in the street.
He heads straight to the house where everyone is praying and knocks on the door.
Rhoda recognizes Peter's voice, gets so excited that she forgets to open the door and leaves the answer to their prayers standing outside!
She runs inside and announces, “Peter is at the door!”
Their response?
“You're out of your mind.”
Really? Would we have responded the same way?
While Peter Keeps Knocking
The people inside keep praying. Peter keeps knocking.
And apparently nobody thinks those two things might be related.
Yet their surprise doesn't diminish Abba's goodness.
They didn't pray perfectly. They certainly weren't expecting Peter to show up during the prayer meeting, and even Peter initially didn't understand what God was doing.
Some were praying.
Peter was sleeping.
God was working!
Recognizing The Answer
Rhoda recognized Peter by his voice before she ever saw him. She knew him well enough to recognize who was on the other side of the door.
Prayer invites us into that kind of relationship with Abba—not simply asking for answers, but knowing His heart well enough to begin recognizing His goodness when it shows up in ways we didn't expect.
Keep An Ear Open
I can thank Abba before the door ever opens, not because I know exactly how He will answer, but because I know the goodness of the One I'm asking.
So I'll keep praying, keep watching, and keep thanking Him.
And perhaps while I'm asking Abba what He's going to do, I should occasionally stop long enough to listen.
The answer may already be knocking.
Reflection
What answer might I be overlooking because it looks different than I expected?
Am I listening as much as I'm asking?
Can I thank Abba today simply because I know His heart?
Prayer
Abba Father, thank You for hearing me before I ever see the answer. Keep my heart expectant and my eyes and ears open to Your goodness already at work. Amen.