Unstoppable! 'Put on Your Sandals!' — Acts 12:7-8

I can't help but be amused at all the angel did to help Peter. Even though Peter was in prison with every indication that he would be executed as James had been (Acts 12:1-2), he was sleeping so soundly that a bright light didn't awaken him. So, the angel struck Peter on the side to awaken him. He told Peter to get dressed and put on his sandals. Finally, he told him to put on his coat and follow him out of prison. The angel sounds like a parent trying to get children ready, out the door, and headed to school on a cool morning. God's miraculous deliverance of Peter from prison is truly amazing, while the details are so down-to-earth and real-to-life that they can make us chuckle. God was determined to get Peter to safety, so he answered the disciples' prayers for Peter (Acts 12:12) both powerfully and simply. After letting the other disciples know of his release, Peter took the opportunity to go to "another place" — presumably away from Jerusalem so he could continue his preaching elsewhere.*

* Acts 12:17 simply says "another place." We know from Galatians 2 and the letters of 1 and 2 Peter that Peter preached in Antioch and Asia Minor, focusing predominantly on his mission to Jewish people.