The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers … — Acts 12:6
When I was a young man, I tried to figure out what made people spiritual. Were you spiritual if you breathed "amen" and "hallelujah" aloud during prayer meetings? Were you spiritual if you smiled and said, "praise the Lord" whenever anyone paid you a compliment? Were you spiritual if you were at church every time the door was open?
The answer eluded me, as you can guess from the way I was asking the question. But here in the passage we see spirituality in real life.
Peter was sleeping.
Think about it. It was the night before trial. Herod probably intended to kill Peter, a murder for political expediency disguised as judicial due process. Ugly, painful death was on the agenda.
But Peter was sleeping. Sleeping so hard that the angel had to hit him on the side to wake him up.
Now that, my friend, is true spirituality.
Why was Peter sleeping? Why wasn’t he up preparing his legal defense? Why wasn’t he ruminating over all the horrific methods the Romans used to put people to death? Was he out of touch with reality?
Nope. Rather Herod was out of touch. That night, Peter walked away from prison a free man. But seventeen verses later, Herod was dead.
Just as Jesus slept in the boat, so also Peter slept in the prison, unconcerned about the storm raging around him. Peter, the coward, who denied Christ three times, was now perfectly at peace as he faced the malice and cruelty of Rome.
True spirituality is the inner transformation that takes place as we encounter the Risen Christ. When Jesus takes a coward — or, for that matter, a pervert, an addict, a persecutor, or just an ordinary, garden variety sinner — and does His work inside, no one can walk away unchanged.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.