We read in Acts 12 a story of persecution, prayer and God’s miraculous deliverance. Herod killed James with the sword and imprisoned Peter. Peter was slated for execution. Peter was in a jail. Peter was surrounded by four squads of soldiers. Peter was chained to two soldiers all night long. But the church was praying. Prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God. What could they expect? They were praying for a supernatural deliverance beyond explanation. God answered their prayers. God sent His angel, unchained Peter and led him unseen through the midst of all the guards. Peter at first thought this was a dream, but pinching himself he finally accepted the truth. He made his way to the house where he knew the church would be hiding. He knocked on the door of the courtyard gate. Rhoda, a little servant girl was the only one out there to respond. Everyone else was inside the house fervently praying for Peter’s miraculous release. Rhoda says, “Who is it?” The answer comes “It’s me, Peter, let me in.” She flips for joy and, rather than opening the gate, runs to tell everyone in the house the good news. “Peter’s here! He’s right outside the gate!” “Quiet you foolish little girl, can’t you see we’re praying for Peter to be miraculously released from prison?” “Peter’s probably dead now and it’s his angel looking for a new job.” They did not think very much of the little servant girl, Rhoda, so they did not believe her. She was the one God sent, but perhaps for all their fervent prayers, they did not think much of God, that He would really answer and give them news through such a lowly person.
How many times does God send word through a lowly messenger, through a lowly means? Lowly patriarchs. Lowly prophets. Lowly apostles. Lowly women like Hannah, Abigail, Naaman’s maidservant, Mary, Elizabeth, Anna, the women who found the tomb empty and little Rhoda. So often these days the Bible is looked upon as a lowly means for God to communicate. It is full of stuff that people find “beneath them.” But that’s alright. God speaks anyway to those lowly enough to listen to Him. After all, the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. It just reminds me of how God loves to flip the script to His own glory. He delights in doing the impossible through the unlikely. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”
