Day 54 — Lost in a Forest

Acts 12:1-5
It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 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. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

Last summer, a couple of miles from arriving at the Focus holiday camp, where I was joining some of the staff team for a few days of joyful camping, my SatNav took me down a wooded road which I presumed was a short cut. Believing I was on the right track due to the chequered flag pin pointing my destination, I continued to drive, taking many different turns and tracks as the map indicated. Deep into the forest I suddenly lost the signal.

Having no idea of where I was or how I was going to get out, I worked hard at not letting my mind run away, thinking of all the possible scenarios of what would happen if I became stuck overnight. More to the point, would anyone notice? Yes, probably – I had a number of bottles of Prosecco in my boot so even if my absence wasn’t acknowledged, they would definitely notice the alcohol was missing and surely that would trigger a rescue!

I kept driving – trying to re-set the sat nav when the signal allowed – but only got more lost in the forest. I felt trapped, isolated and very much like I was in prison. To hear what happened next you’ll have to read tomorrow’s devotional!

There can be times in our life when we find ourselves in situations that leave us feeling trapped, and however we look at it we can’t see a way out. That feeling may be physical, emotional or even spiritual. In this story in Acts - with James dead, Peter in prison and Herod’s popularity growing, the early church might have felt that things were hopeless and in total decline. But what did the early church do? They prayed! Peter was miraculously released from prison and says in verse 11, ‘Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.’

Whatever your situation, the greatest thing you can do today is pray. Whether you are new to prayer or you have been praying for years, we all have times when we ask the question, ‘Is any of this making any difference?’ Today, as you come to pray, remember this:

‘Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.’ (Max Lucado)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, today I want to chat with you about…

Mary Grinham
Leadership Team