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

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, "Quick! Get up!" And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, "Get dressed and put on your sandals." And he did. "Now put on your coat and follow me," the angel ordered.

— Acts 12:7-8 NLT

Key Thought

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.

Today's Prayer

O Father, our world needs your deliverance. Many of your children are imprisoned and abused by hostile forces, militias, and governments. We pray for their deliverance. We also pray for your help in delivering us from our selfish and pig-headed ways. We need miraculous deliverance from the sin that holds us captive. We need your Spirit to guide our efforts as we seek to overcome racism and the pain and division that ethnic hatred has caused. We ask you to use us and give us the courage to bring your deliverance to our broken world, just as you brought deliverance to Peter from jail and impending death. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • Acts 4:23-31
  • Acts 12:1-5

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

4 Related Resources by Heartlight

These Chains Won't Hold
Devo: Unstoppable!
"The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison..."
Surprised?
Devo: A Year with Jesus
"Dear Beloved, I hope you enjoy reading the verses below as much as I enjoyed being at work in the lives of My disciples bringing them deliverance. ....."
Committed or Comfortable?
Article by Rick Brown
What do we need to get us to stretch out a bit? Rick Brown talks about a famous photograph and the message to pray and have hope in the darkest of times, and to remember that fervent and earnest prayer is the kind of prayer the early church, the committed church prayed.
Living My MUSD #5: Shared Prayer through Interceding Personally
Article by Phil Ware
Even when confined to our houses and limited in our travels and frustrated with social distancing, we still have the incredible ability to pray for others. Phil Ware opens the New Testament and reminds of a great way to live out our mission while under social distancing, prayer because prayer has always been a virtual way of blessing others.

Illustration

Illustration of Acts 12:7-8 NLT — Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, "Quick! Get up!" And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, "Get dressed and put on your sandals." And he did. "Now put on your coat and follow me," the angel ordered.

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Thursday, July 10, 2025

Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Evening Thought: Psalms 102:13, 14
"A selfish man in trouble is exceedingly hard to comfort, because the springs of his comfort lie entirely within himself, and when he is sad all his..."
A Year with Jesus
A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives.
'Tested and Proven Character'
"Dear Faithful Follower, About the same time Paul was trying to help the Galatian believers understand grace, My half-brother James was working with....."
Passion for Praise
A daily passage of Scripture emphasizing praise to our God.
'Justice and Compassion' (Ps. 135:13-14)
"Your name, O Lord, endures forever; your fame, O Lord, is known to every generation. For the Lord will give justice to his people and have compassion...."
Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'Saved to Serve' (1 Th. 1:9-10)
"Dear Father, May our faith serve to call them to wait for your Son from heaven, whom you raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath..."

About This Devotional

Unstoppable! is a one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage, a reflection and a prayer. The reflection opens up the day's scripture and shows how it challenges one to live for Jesus.

Unstoppable! is written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

More Unstoppable!