I love the stories about the many people in the Bible. David and Goliath, Joseph and the coat of many colors, Esther’s bravery in saving her people, Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi, Daniel in the lion’s den, and Rhoda. I can see by your expressions that you don’t know about Rhoda.
In the Jewish Christian world of the first century is a fascinating story of prayer and bravery in the midst of persecution.
(Acts 12:1-3) King Herod arrested some Christians and had put to death, James, the brother of John. This so pleased the Jewish leaders who were instrumental in Jesus’ death, Herod arrested Peter also.
(Acts 12:4) Because Peter was arrested right at a major Jewish religious holiday, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Herod could not put him to death right away.
So he threw him into prison and assigned four squads of four soldiers each to guard him—a little bit of over-kill. He wanted to be absolutely sure there was no possibility of escape—no possibility that Peter’s Christian friends could rescue him.
Acts 12:5 (NIV), So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. All the church could do was turn to their most powerful weapon—prayer.
The church people had gathered at John Mark’s home (more specifically, his mother’s home). They gathered because they were being persecuted. Read about persecution breaking out in Acts 8 following the murder of Stephen.
They gathered to pray. They got together because their Christian brother, James, had become one of the first Christian martyrs.
They gathered because they were afraid and concerned for Peter. So they prayed and prayed some more. Look what happens during their prayer meeting in Acts 12:6-11.
This is a wonderful, wonderful story about how the church responded to adversity—they prayed—and God’s responded. At the prayer meeting was Rhoda, who I mentioned earlier.
Acts 12:12 - 16 (NIV) 12When 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. 13Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14When 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.” 16But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.
Rhoda is often overlooked. But, God was so impressed by her faith that He included her name in His book. Acts 12:13 (NIV), Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. Rhoda, a beautiful name.
Rhoda—a name that means rose, a name that is symbolic of beauty and sweet fragrance. Rhoda, who is the only one named at this prayer meeting. Rhoda, who has a special place in the church because of the sweetness of her service to Jesus. Here are some observations about her:
How do I know that? By her actions! First of all she was at a prayer meeting. Christians go to prayer meetings. She doesn’t have to be there. She’s not a slave—her occupation is as a servant. But she wanted to be with other believers and to pray for Peter.
I also know she was a Christian because she knew Peter well enough to recognize his voice outside the unopened door (v. 14). She was so overjoyed she forgot to let him, instead she ran to tell the others that Peter was there.
She loved him with the kind of love Jesus talked about in John 13:35 (NIV), “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Christians love one another. We share the joys and sorrows of other Christians. At that moment Rhoda was filled with joy and happiness.
James had been killed. Some of her Christian friends were arrested and mistreated. Everyone knew that Herod intended to execute Peter. They might be next. But, even in their fear, they remembered to pray.
It was the middle of the night. Imagine what went through their mind when they heard Peter’s knock. It must have scared them to death. Somehow they had been discovered. The soldiers were there to arrest them.
Which of the brave men would go to the door? They looked at one another in fear. Who dared go? Surely a brave man or two would go.
No, it would arouse less suspicion to let little Rhoda do it. And it might give the disciples time to escape out the back. Let’s remember Rhoda for her bravery.
She was the one sent to the door. She was the one who would know what to do. And she proved her trust. She used her ears well and her tongue wisely. She didn’t just throw open the door to whomever might be there. She asked, “Who’s there?” and she listened.
She recognized Peter’s voice at once. Peter was well known to her. All the Christians in Jerusalem knew Peter; but she knew his voice. Sometime they had talked. And she had heard him preach.
When she heard Peter’s voice instantly her heart was flooded with joy. In her excitement she forgot to let him in.
She ran pell-mell to the assembled believers and shouted the great news, “Peter is at the door. Peter is at the door.” Feel the excitement and emotion of that moment.
The sudden sinking of heart for fear of the soldiers, to the relief and extreme joy that it wasn’t. Rhoda thought it was Peter. But Rhoda believed the evidence of her ears.
This is what they prayed for. Rhoda didn’t hesitate for a single moment. She didn’t think, “This can’t possibly be Peter.” But the others were not nearly so confident, “You’re out of your mind,” they said.
And this one little girl, one against them all, kept insisting, “Yes, yes, it really is Peter. “It must be his angel,” they then replied. They already considered Peter dead and his guardian angel was at the door.
They refused to believe Rhoda. After all she was just an impressionable young girl. They prayed for Peter’s deliverance but the thought that God might deliver him seemed incredible to them.
But Rhoda kept her balance and kept insisting, and the knocking at the door continued. So they stopped arguing and they all went to the door (v. 16, ‘they opened the door.”).
Rhoda was right! There stood Peter! The unbelievable was fact! “They were astonished” (v. 16), and they all began talking at once. Peter had to quiet them with his hand so he could tell his amazing story.
Maybe the most amazing thing about this story is that Rhoda got her name in the Bible. Her amazing faith and actions that night were recognized and recorded by the writer of Acts, Dr. Luke.
Wouldn’t you like to be a Rhoda—to simply trust God, to pray more, to serve wherever the need is, to give helpful, happy service to the Lord, and to be willing to stand up for what is right!
This is really a story about the church at prayer, the faith of a young woman, and the sovereignty of God.
This story should comfort us because these early Christians were very much like us. They were afraid, and they were surprised at how God answered their prayer—James was not spared, Peter was.
But don’t criticize them. It should cheer us in our praying. I pray, and God knows I believe in Him, and I pray my desires, my wish lists; then I wonder if He can or will; then I am surprised when and how He does.
Yet, even in the weakness of our faith, God responds. Jesus told His disciples in Matt. 17:20 that if their faith was just the size of a tiny mustard seed, they would be able to move mountains.
He was telling them that God hears and answers the prayers of His children according to His divine will. If we are going to be a church that reaches others for Christ, and if we are going to grow, we must be a praying church.
Pray with expectancy of God’s answer. The Bible doesn’t tell us what the church was praying. But the circumstances fill us in. They were praying for Peter’s release and for their safety.
But they were already discouraged because James had been killed, and they assumed that Peter was dead also. So often, out of the discouraging circumstances in our lives, we pray out of our hurts. We wonder why God hasn’t answered, or why He answered the way He did.
Though we may not understand, we must still trust God.
He grants some
He refuses others
He delays still others
Two mysterious things happened here. Peter was supernaturally released from prison, James was martyred. Why? We cannot answer that to our satisfaction. You can get a 100 different viewpoints from Bible scholars, but the fact is, we have a limited view of time and eternity.
In fact, basically our prayers are mostly concerned with ourselves. Their good prayers, but usually they are selfish prayers. And this narrows our perception of what God is doing in all eternity.
I’m sure the believers prayed just as hard for James as they did for Peter. The release of Peter by God’s divine action proves that James also could have been saved. But He allowed the course of King Herod’s actions to continue.
God’s way is always right. It doesn’t always make sense; it is often mysterious; it can seldom be explained; and it isn’t always pleasurable and fun. But He is always right.
God answered their prayer while they were praying. Peter was right there at the door. Rhoda told them he was there. Their prayer had been answered but they didn’t recognize it.
Prayer should be a two-way dialogue between us and God. Sometime we need to shut up and let God speak to us. We need to read the Bible, His revealed word and will, then sit back and meditate on it—let God speak.
This probably is the best description of Rhoda’s prayers. She listened, was bold in her requests, and trusted God completely, no matter what His answer was. She knew that God’s answer is always part of the tapestry of His greater plan.