Wake Up - You're Not Dreaming

“And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.” (Ac 12:11-12 AV)

The thing Peter was considering was his escape from prison.  In the middle of the night, an angel of the LORD came to Peter and guided him out of the prison.  The angel was with him as he went through two sets of gates and then out into the streets.  Since no one else escaped, the gates were shut and locked behind them.  While the angel guided him, Peter thought he was asleep and dreaming.  This would make sense.  I would think the same.  If the gates were shut and locked behind me rather than left open so that others could escape, I would think I was dreaming as well.  An escape usually requires haste and not so much care as to secure other prisoners.  One is fleeing and wouldn’t really care if others escaped or not.  So, I can understand Peter’s initial response.  It was not until the angel left his side that he came to himself.  He realized it was not a dream.  Then he stopped in his mind long enough to consider the thing.  This reminds me of the scene in the Christmas Carol when the ghost of Christmas present abandons Scrooge at the culvert.  He realizes his experience is not a dream.  What jumped out at me this morning (obviously by the Spirit) is that Peter considered the thing and then made a choice.  Once he realized God had moved to release him, he had to consider what to do next.

Several years back, one of my future daughters-in-law was in an accident.  She was traveling to my youngest son’s wedding and hit some back ice.  She lost control of her car and it smashed into a median.  She was able to exit the car with her purse, phone, and other essentials before the car started on fire.  She had called my son and was in a panic.  This was understandable.  She was in shock.  She saw her life flash before her eyes and now she was safely away from a burning car.  She was in the middle of nowhere.  My son gave me his phone and we were able to talk are down from her panic and make a plan.  After discerning she was in no immediate danger of brain injury, I had her walk away from the car in the direction from which she came.  That way, if another car lost traction and hit hers, she would not be in front of the wreckage and catch shrapnel, or something worse.  We then helped her to look for a temporary shelter if help was delayed.  She looked up and down the road to see if there were any buildings or dwellings.  There was nothing.  So we had her point out a very large tree that could shelter her from the wind.  We then had a plan to get out of trouble.  So, we stopped and prayed over the phone.  When we were done, out of nowhere, a car approached.  She was safely taken to a hospital and checked out ok.  Praise the LORD.  What she needed to do was to consider the thing.  God had miraculously saved her and now she needed a plan.

God often rescues us beyond our ability to comprehend the extent of the miracle that had just occurred.  We think we are living a dream.  It doesn’t make sense.  We should not be free.  Yet, the LORD did a great thing.  He got us out of a very extreme set of circumstances.  Now, what do we do?  Our head is spinning.  We are filled with both shock and exuberant joy.  We are praising the LORD, yet we still cannot believe it.  It is at this moment we are most vulnerable.  Peter was free.  But that didn’t mean he was out of harm's way.  The angel of the LORD had departed from him.  The angel did not lead Peter to the safety of the prayer meeting.  The angel left him so that Peter’s brain could engage reality.  If he had no plan and didn’t consider the thing, he may have wandered around and placed himself at risk of being arrested as an escapee, or worse, been run through with a lance as someone who was freed illegally from a prison.  There was no time to sit in wonder at what God and done.  It was time to consider the thing and make choices that would further the plan of God for himself.  Maybe the LORD is going to do something very great for you today.  What are we going to do if He does?  Will we have a party and rejoice in the mercy of God?  Or, will we consider the thing and come up with a plan to further God’s intention in the miracle?  There will be time to rejoice.  Right now, it is time for action.