Acts 12:14-15 “When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, ‘Peter is at the door!’ ‘You’re out of your mind,’ they told her.”
Whether praising, repenting or petitioning, I love communing with God. But a recent study of Acts 12 prompted me to take a closer look at my prayer-life.
Peter had just been arrested for preaching the gospel and a small band of believers gathered to pray for him. Their prayers weren’t mere lip service either. Scripture says they were “earnestly praying” (verse 5). Yet after an angel miraculously led Peter to freedom and he arrived at the house where they were interceding, he was met with an unexpected response. The servant girl, Rhoda, was so excited when she recognized Peter’s voice that she ran to tell the others without even opening the door! And how did they respond to the miracle? Did they exclaim, “Praise God who has answered our prayer”?
Afraid not. Their words were far from a resounding affirmation of faith. They said to the servant girl, “You’re out of your mind.” And when they finally opened the door and Peter stood there in front of them, these earnest pray-ers were “astonished” (verse 16).
Sometimes my reaction to answered prayer runs along the same line. I’m surprised when the Lord comes through…oh me of little faith. Other times I ask, but I don’t even recognize the answer when it comes. If I’m not careful, my prayers can turn into a matter of form. I rattle off my concerns without really, really considering that my prayers could be making a difference. I seem to forget that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).
How about you? Do you ever let your thinking interfere with the limitless possibilities of God? Or do you let His supernatural ways and thoughts prevail over your logical pragmatism? Don’t let your faith lag behind your hope. Maybe those disciples’ assessment of Rhoda wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe it’s okay to be “out of our minds.”
Maybe getting out of our minds is the only way to get into the mind of Christ and pray like we mean it.