“When Peter came to himself, he said, ‘Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.’” – Acts 12:11

Scripture reading: Acts 12:11-19 

Sometimes we have fantastic dreams. Maybe you have dreamt that you can fly, or you are at your favorite vacation place with your favorite people, but then you wake up and it was merely a dream. You think to yourself, “I knew it was too good to be true!” Peter thought he was having this bizarre and wonderful dream where he was walking past guards and through the gates. Peter has seen many miraculous things, but he thought this was all too good to be true. Then he came to himself and saw that the Lord has rescued him.

Yesterday, we saw our need for prayer. God answers prayer in ways greater than we could imagine. This does not mean we should always expect miracles whenever a hardship comes, but as we earnestly seek the Lord, we can expect He will do what is good. When we come to ourselves, we see God is still doing great things, greater than we expected.

The enemies we face are real. What sinful habits or troubles seek to take you hostage? Turn to the Lord in faith. We are not promised an easy life, but God does promise that all who turn to Him in faith are rescued from clutches of sin and Satan and will be brought to the glory of His presence. That is greater than our most fantastic dream come true.

Suggestions for prayer

Praise God for His sure deliverance. Ask God to give you strength to trust Him in all the trials we face and to look forward to the glory that is to come.

Rev. Simon Lievaart is a pastor for Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. He and his wife Jodi have four children. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional.