The Mighty Deeds of God: Prisons and Hospitals

Acts 12:11

“…Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish People were expecting.”

“When Peter came to himself, he said, ‘Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish People were expecting” (Acts 12:11).

Mighty Deeds from a Prison Cell

One of my favorite stories in the book of Acts is Peter’s imprisonment at the hands of Herod and the Jews. You can read about this in Acts 12. Peter is imprisoned for preaching the gospel of Jesus. According to the first few verses of this chapter, he is surrounded by Roman guards and, in fact, according to vs. 6, Peter is asleep chained to two guards. I would say this seems like an impossible situation. Remember Herod has just murdered James, the brother of John and now was taking his vengeance out on Peter and the church.

Ready to see the mighty deeds of God? While Peter was imprisoned, the church gathered to pray. The angel of the Lord miraculously released Peter while the guards were asleep and Peter quickly made his way to the house where they were praying. When Peter knocked on the door of the home, the girl that came to the door was so surprised, she forgot to let Peter in the house. 

As I said earlier, this is one of my favorite stories in Acts. It displays a mighty deed of God, another occasion where God did something that only He could do and the church had a front row seat to this mighty deed of God. 

Mighty Deeds from a Hospital Room

The last six weeks have certainly brought some personal challenges to me. I will not bore you with all the details, but just so you have the picture, there has been an extended hospital stay, a serious health challenge, and as of this writing, no certain diagnosis. Today, I am getting better, glad to be home, and grateful to be regaining my strength.

But something happened that I believe constitutes a mighty deed of God. After a medical procedure, Gina and I were waiting in a recovery area of the hospital when Linda, a hospital employee, came in. I don’t really know what her position at the hospital was, but at that exact time, Gina and I  were feeling uncertain as to what was going on and we needed to make a decision that we felt confused about. 

As she came into the area, we could not help but sense that she was there for more than medical reasons. What became clear is that she was there for a spiritual reason. She was there to encourage us, to pray over us, and to help us refocus our minds on Jesus, and make the decision that we needed to make.

She certainly did her job and cared for my health needs. But it was just very clear that her presence had a far greater significance. After several minutes of conversation, we realized that this was someone with deep faith and an amazing prayer life. 

She took my hand while embracing Gina and prayed one of the most moving prayers I have ever heard. When she was finished praying, we warmly expressed our gratitude and she went on her way. Gina and I had experienced a divine moment. We had watched the Holy Spirit bring this kind person to our location at just the right time, for just the right reason, and in just the right mindset. She was sent to the room at the hand of the hospital to care for my health issues, but when she left the room, we knew she had been sent into the room by our great God for a greater mission, a mission of spiritual encouragement. 

For me, that is something God alone could do. It calmed my spirit, encouraged my faith, and caused me to say, “Thank you Jesus and I praise you!!”

Friends, God is still at work. He is still up to performing mighty deeds. Look around and see all that God is doing. Put on your spiritual glasses so you can see the mighty deeds of God. 

Thanks for tuning in this week. I am praying your week will be filled with the hope and joy of Jesus this season, and that you will keep your eyes open for the mighty deeds of God.  Remember, share them with me when you can! david@davidsmithministry.com