Led by the angel of God, Peter has walked out of prison in the middle of the night, past multiple guards and through an impenetrable locked iron gate. He is now a fugitive from justice and time is very short:
“When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying” (Ac 12:12).
Assuming the angel has led Paul out during the wee hours of the morning, we can further assume that this large prayer meeting at Mary’s house is planned to go all night long, in perfect unity. There is surely some danger of attracting the attention of Herod’s informers who might be watching this house closely. So imagine their alarm when there is a furtive knock at the gate, let’s say for example, at three in the morning:
“And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, ‘You are out of your mind.’ But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, ‘It is his angel’” (Ac 12:13-15)!
This delay could result in Peter being nabbed again. Imagine having to keep knocking over and over again while danger lurks everywhere! And the saints praying inside cannot comprehend that it really is Peter. The depth of their faith is about to be expanded infinitely, and so should ours:
“But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, ‘Tell these things to James and to the brothers.’ Then he departed and went to another place” (Ac 12:16-17).
Why the abrupt commands to be silent and to tell James and the brothers, followed by an abrupt departure? Peter is in a hurry.
Perfect unity has many dimensions, and Peter is obeying a command himself, a command from Jesus: “’When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next…’” (Mt 10:23). But he is also protecting others in perfect unity.
Perfect unity starts with God, but also includes practical actions to protect ourselves and also those brothers and sisters who cannot flee. Peter is doing both. We will not hear from Peter again for quite a while. This will reduce the fervor of persecution of the church in Jerusalem somewhat and protect the other leaders, especially the other apostles still in Jerusalem.
No matter how desperate a situation may seem, putting perfect unity first results in the closest relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And from this position, even as we doubt but steadily grow in faith, the least likely miracles of all often emerge according to God’s will and perfect plan.
If we sincerely practice perfect unity in all our relationships, from family to church to workplace to country, the direst situations standing in front of us can evaporate like the bars of a locked iron gate opening by an unseen hand.
Is that knocking I hear?
Could it really be the answer to my prayer?