A few days ago, right after the service, still in the church, I was talking with some brothers about God's care in our lives and I remembered the passage in which Peter was imprisoned and how God manifested himself to him:

Acts of the Apostles 12:
1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.
2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.
3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.
 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.
7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists.
 8 Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him.
9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.
10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
11 Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."

In verse 5, we see something that was essential for God's providence to happen to Peter: THE CHURCH WAS EARNESTLY PRAYING TO GOD.

Acts of the Apostles 12:5 ... but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

God then manifested himself to Peter in a wonderful and supernatural way, through an angel, and Peter could not understand what was happening, because he was kind of ecstatic at that moment, to the point that the angel of God had to instruct him in such basic things as: get up, put on your clothes, put on your sandals, wrap your cloak around you, follow me. (Acts of the Apostles 12:7-8).

Peter didn't know if what was happening was real or not.

Acts of the Apostles 12:9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.

But Peter, after being released from prison, can say:

Acts of the Apostles 12:11 Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."

How good it is to know that, when it is necessary, God guides us in the smallest details, to reach his blessings, even if sometimes we are not understanding what is happening.

So, in moments of struggle, always obey God, even if it seems to be something unreal, because you will not always understand the ways that God uses to bless you.

Remember that God will always honor your attitudes of faithfulness and then, once blessed, you will understand that your attitudes of faith, no matter how difficult they were to practice, in fact, it was THE LORD TAKING CARE OF YOU AND MOTIVATING YOU, EVEN WITHOUT YOU UNDERSTAND.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

Pastor Val Martins