Prayer is a First Thing, Part II: First Things First

ACTS 12:11-18 (NIV)11) Then Peter came to himself and said, “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.” 12) When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13) Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14) When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”  15) “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” 16) But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17) Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place. 18) In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.TAKEAWAYS1. God answers prayer (v 5-10)2. We can be slow to believe in prayer  (v 11-16)3. Keep on knocking, and enter when it  opens