Herod Agrippa was persecuting the church and violently targeted some of its members. He beheaded James, the brother of John, and when he saw that this act pleased the Jews, he sought to please them further by arresting Peter. He imprisoned Peter, placing him under the guard of four squads of soldiers, intending to present him to the people after the Passover. As Peter remained in prison, the church earnestly prayed to God for him.

Why did the church earnestly pray for Peter?

In the early church, Peter and James were key leaders. Herod beheaded James.I think the church also including Peter prayed for James.But God in His sovereignty allowed James to be a martyr. Losing Peter at this stage was unthinkable, so the church fervently prayed for his deliverance.

The adverb “earnestly” is translated from the Greek word ektenos, which means to pray earnestly, fervently, or intensely. The church united in prayer, and as described in Acts 12, many gathered together that night to pray for Peter.

God answered their fervent prayers. That very night, an angel appeared and rescued Peter from prison.

When Peter was freed, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose other name was Mark. There, many were still gathered in prayer. When Peter knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter’s voice, she was overjoyed and ran to report that Peter was at the gate, without opening the door. The others dismissed her claim, saying, “You are out of your mind.” Even as Rhoda insisted, they reasoned, “It is his angel.” Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door, they were amazed to see him. (Verses 12–16)

Why was the church amazed to see Peter, even though they were praying for his release?

The church may have expected Peter’s rescue to occur in a different manner. The miraculous nature of his deliverance—beyond what they could have imagined—left them in awe.