There are moments in life and moments in the life of a church, when we simply don’t know what to do.

We face situations we can’t fix, problems we can’t solve, and burdens we can’t carry. Some of you may know exactly what that feels like. You’ve prayed for a loved one who won’t listen. You’ve faced sickness you couldn’t avoid. You’ve watched circumstances spiral beyond your control. And eventually, the question rises up: What can we even do?

The early church found themselves in that very place in Acts 12.
The church was small. It was persecuted. It was powerless in the eyes of the world. James had just been murdered. Peter had been arrested. And Herod was determined to crush the church completely. From every human perspective, this was a hopeless situation.

On earth, Peter was chained and guarded. But in heaven, prayers were rising to God.
On one side, there were bars, soldiers, and iron gates. On the other side, there was God.
And when the church prays, even a small church, heaven moves.

Prayer was not meant to be our last resort.
It was always meant to be our first response.
Our first response when we wake up.
Our first response when we lay our head down.
Our constant connection to our Savior.

Acts 12:6–7
Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.

Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with chains, guarded by sentries, and facing execution the next day. James had already been killed. By every measure, this was one of the worst moments of Peter’s life.
Yet while Peter slept, God was working.
While the church prayed, heaven responded.

God sent an angel, not when things were easy, but when they were impossible.
The chains fell off. The guards remained asleep. And God moved in power.

Prayer does not guarantee that life will be easy. But prayer does guarantee that we will never face life alone.

D.L. Moody once compared prayer to a telegraph wire. Now, if history class serves me right, none of us here have ever actually used a telegraph, but the illustration still holds. A telegraph wire has no power in and of itself. It’s just a connection. There’s nothing special about the wire. But on the other end of that wire is power; power that can move information across great distances and even influence nations.

Prayer works the same way. Prayer itself isn’t powerful because of the words we use or how many times we pray. Prayer is powerful because it connects us to God. And He is the One who has the power.

Now, I want to be careful here, because one of my professors used to warn us about treating God like a cosmic vending machine. Sometimes we fall into the habit of thinking that if we pray the right words, or pray enough times, or show up to church enough, then God owes us an answer exactly the way we want it. That’s not how prayer works.
Even Jesus prayed, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” Prayer is not about pressing the right buttons, it’s about trusting the God on the other end of the line. The power of prayer is not found in repetition, technique, or ritual. It’s found in the God who hears.

The church is not powerful because of its numbers, budget, or building.
The church is powerful because it is connected to a God who cannot be defeated.

Look at what God does in this passage:

• Chains fall off without a key
• Guards stay asleep
• Soldiers are passed without resistance
• An iron gate opens on its own
• Peter walks straight into freedom

Every obstacle was removed by God.

So often, we spend our lives trying to fix things in our own strength, trying to change people, repair situations, and control outcomes. We are like toddlers who insist on doing everything ourselves until frustration finally forces us to ask for help.
But one move of God can do what we never could.

George Müller, who ran an orphanage caring for thousands of children, never once asked for money. One morning, there was no food, no bread and no milk. The children sat at empty tables. Müller prayed and thanked God for the food.

Moments later, a baker knocked on the door saying God had told him to bake bread. Soon after, a milkman arrived with milk his broken wagon could not deliver elsewhere.
No fundraising. No advertising. Just prayer.

When believers pray, God opens doors we could never imagine.

Many of you have seen this firsthand through Reach the River. When we first talked about Reach the River, it was just an idea, something that came out of a much larger mission trip in Panama City Beach. The idea was simple: go down to the river and reach the people who were already there.

That first year, it was really small. We had a few college students help us. We played music, handed out free snow cones, and just tried to start conversations. It didn’t look impressive, but God was working. That year, we had over 100 gospel conversations and saw two salvations.

When we started talking about Reach the River again the following year, there was no fundraising and no advertising. Several of our deacons and many of you were praying about how we could do it again. And through prayer alone, doors started opening. We were able to get in contact with a former state representative, Chris Dinkins, who opened up her campground at Twin Rivers in Lesterville to us.

Through prayer, we were given access to generators, equipment, and resources we didn’t have before. Then, out of nowhere, someone anonymously donated $1,000. Again, no fundraising, no advertising, just prayer.

Because of that, we were able to buy ice cream, get a freezer, and take everything down to the river and campground to serve people. And through that, we had just under 300 gospel conversations.

When we pray and seek God’s face, heaven responds.

Acts 12:12–15
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. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 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. 15 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!”

This may be one of the most humorous moments in Scripture.
The church is earnestly praying for Peter’s release. Peter is released.
He shows up at the door. And they tell Rhoda, “You are out of your mind.”

They prayed and yet they struggled to believe when God answered.
Why did God still respond?

Because prayer is not about the strength of the one who prays, but the strength of the One who hears.

God does not require perfect faith. He honors honest faith.

There’s a story of a town suffering from drought. The church gathered to pray for rain. Only one little girl brought an umbrella. That night, it rained.

Even faith that trembles still touches heaven.
Sometimes we pray simply because that’s what we’re supposed to do, without expectation.

Sometimes when we talk about prayer, we can fall into the habit of praying simply because that’s what we’re supposed to do, without any real expectation. I once saw a video of a social experiment that really illustrates this. It took place in a dentist’s waiting room. Everyone in the room was a hired actor except for one unsuspecting person. Every few minutes, a bell would ring, and when it did, everyone in the waiting room would stand up. No explanation was given. At first, the person who wasn’t an actor looked confused, watching everyone else stand. But after a few times, when the bell rang, they stood up too, even though they had no idea why. Then the experiment got even more interesting. The actors were slowly removed from the room and replaced with new people who also didn’t know what was going on. Eventually, the waiting room was filled with people who had no clue why they were standing, yet every time the bell rang, they all stood up anyway. No one told them to. They just did it because everyone else was doing it. Sometimes we pray the same way, not because we are expecting God to respond, but because it’s what we’ve always done.

The challenge is not just to pray, but to pray believing that God can respond.

Acts 12:16-17
But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 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.  

Peter stood before the church and testified:
God answered prayer.
God broke chains.
God opened gates.
God rescued His servant.

History was changed because a small group of believers prayed.
That is the testimony of every praying church.
Families are restored.
Hearts are softened.
Addictions are broken.
Marriages are healed.
Souls are saved.
Not because of us but because of Him.

• Personally – faithfully, in every season
• Specifically – just as the church prayed for Peter
• Together – united as the body of Christ
• Expectantly – believing God can respond

The greatest thing the church can do is pray.
We may be small in number.
We may lack influence.
But heaven listens when God’s people pray.

Some of you may feel imprisoned by fear, illness, broken relationships, or uncertainty. The same God who opened iron gates in Acts 12 is still opening doors today.

When the church prays, heaven moves.

This article is based on a sermon delivered by Brenden Meinhardt and has been adapted for written format.