Peter is arrested by Herod and imprisoned awaiting his execution. Herod had just killed James, the apostle, and Peter was to be next. We read in Acts 12:6-7, "And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now, behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands." The angel then escorted Peter out of the prison and on to the streets. First note Peter's condition under these circumstances. He is peacefully sleeping, despite the situation of his impending death. When we get to Acts 16, rather than sending an angel, God sends an earthquake to free Paul and Silas from prison. We have a tendency to limit God to a method, but our God is a God of variety and should never be boxed in and limited.

Peter arrives at the house of John Mark, where the believers were gathered to pray for Peter. We read in Acts 12:13-16, "And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel." Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished." Though the believers were rightfully praying, they did so without believing that God could actually do what they were praying for. Despite the lack of faith in their praying, God answered their prayers.

Throughout Scripture we come to realize that God has no limitations. Yet so often we place limitations on Him. Jesus healed so many during His ministry, but often did so differently. He healed blindness by speaking, touching, rubbing mud, etc. We can either go through life expecting the natural from a God who works in the supernatural, or we can approach each day looking for the unexpected. We can pray dutifully in a rote and routine manner, or we can approach our God in prayer open to any possibility. We can approach Him in His Word, dutifully, simply reading the next portion of Scripture. Or we can approach His Word open to the fact that He can literally blow us away with a new revelation. We can approach church because we are "doing the right thing", or we can prepare our hearts and see or hear something that we never knew before. It is dangerous for our walk to place limitations upon a God who is unlimited. God is great and faithful and willing to alter the course of our lives if only we would be open to His moving in our lives.