Acts 12: Prayer in the Trenches

God triumphs over all opposition, even persecution and imprisonment lead to God's glory and growth of His kingdom! God's people will endure persecution. James is killed and others were violently attacked. Peter was arrested. The church's response was to pray. They do not pray as a last resort but as their primary weapon. Pray especially and initially in troubled times. 

Peter for the second time, escapes from prison. With the odds stacked against him, Peter sleeps. In fact he has to be nudged awake and even then he is in a daze. He then goes through a rather humorous episode of trying to get inside the building where the church was praying for him. 

Finally, we see that God has the final word in all things. Herod failed to stop the church, but God strikes him dead and the church continues to march on.