Daily Devotional for Wednesday, February 8th

The Death of a King

“And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an
oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a
man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory:
and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost,” Acts 12:21-23.

Herod had been in a ruthless campaign of intense persecution against the church at Jerusalem. Recently, he had James martyred, one of the sons of thunder. He also had imprisoned Peter with the likely intention of taking his life. Herod’s heart was filled with evil and considering the legal authority he held, Christians in Jerusalem had reason to be filled with fear. Yet, in their fear, they turned to prayer.

When persecution and heartache come against a group of believers, they can respond with practical plans and human reasoning. Yet, none of their plans will be fruitful without bathing their needs in prayer. When Christians in Jerusalem were under intense persecution, they joined together to pray for God’s intervention. I am sure they discussed what they would do if certain things came to pass. Yet, they did not fail to pray.

As the Christians in Jerusalem prayed, God’s hand was at work in the court of Herod. Not only did God send an angel to release Peter from prison, but He was also setting the stage to confront wicked Herod with an opportunity to humble himself. Herod received the praise of the people as if he was a god, so the God of the universe struck him down in his pride.

When God’s people join together in prayer, Heaven and earth are moved by the power of God to accomplish His will in them. Many times, He hears the cries of His children and rescues them from their trials. Other times, God hears the cries of His children and empowers them to endure what is to come.

REFLECTION: We cannot experience the power of God in our lives without earnest prayer.

Steven Ridings