# Prison Break - The Book of Acts

An episode of [Kids Bible in a Year with Julia Jeffress Sadler](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1696638708), 16 Apr 2024, 14 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/f8ddd7fd-69c6-48d0-804f-b4d6010c327c/964cdc26-82fe-41b6-9c0d-b4d601700b93/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=14e8ed60-20b2-4d5c-a832-b4d6010c3283

Join Julia Jeffress Sadler as she takes us on an incredible adventure in Episode 197. Join us in today's episode where King Herod's harsh actions against the church lead to the dramatic rescue of Peter by an angel. As the church fervently prays, Peter miraculously escapes from prison, leaving guards baffled and Herod furious. The story takes a twist when Herod, consumed by pride, meets a grim end, yet through it all, God's word continues to flourish and spread. Sign up to receive Kids Bible in a Year devotionals in your inbox every weekday: https://www.kidsbibleinayear.com/ Get ready to experience the Bible designed specifically for children with the official KidsBibleinaYear.com podcast, led by Julia Jeffress Sadler. This captivating audio series presents the age-old wisdom of the Bible in an engaging format that will captivate your kids. Each episode Julia translates biblical teachings into real-life applications, making Bible comprehension a breeze for young minds. And if you want more Christian resources and content, you can download the Pray.com app. Pray.com is the digital destination for faith, offering over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime Bible stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible. For more resources on how to live a successful Christian life, visit Julia Jeffress Sadler's website at https://ptv.org/julia/. This episode is sponsored by Little Passports. Visit LittlePassports.com/blessed and use promo code BLESSED to receive 20% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:01] Speaker 1: Peter, therefore, was kept in the prison, but constant prayer
[0:04] Speaker 1: was made by the assembly to God for him. Acts 12, 5.
[0:10] Speaker 1: Dear God, thank you for hearing our prayers. Please forgive
[0:14] Speaker 1: us for the times we do not care about the
[0:16] Speaker 1: things that you care about. So often we do not
[0:20] Speaker 1: pray with all of our might. We know you have
[0:23] Speaker 1: the power to do anything. We just have to ask.
[0:27] Speaker 1: Show us your heart. and stir in us a stronger
[0:31] Speaker 1: passion for prayer. In Jesus' name, amen.
[0:37] Speaker 2: Thank you for praying with us today. The Kids Bible
[0:40] Speaker 2: in a Year podcast is sponsored by Little Passports, delivering
[0:43] Speaker 2: monthly activity kit subscriptions that help kids explore the world,
[0:47] Speaker 2: cultivate curiosity, and discover new interests with hands-on crafts and
[0:52] Speaker 2: activities in cooking, science, crafts, and more, all with a
[0:55] Speaker 2: unique cultural twist. Visit littlepassports.com slash blessed to learn more
[1:01] Speaker 2: and save 20% with code blessed.
[1:10] Speaker 3: Prison Break In our last story, many in Antioch believed,
[1:16] Speaker 3: and Saul and Barnabas spent time there before coming to
[1:19] Speaker 3: Judea to bring help during a famine. In this story,
[1:24] Speaker 3: King Herod will have James killed and Peter thrown in prison.
[1:29] Speaker 3: But once again, an angel will help Peter escape, as
[1:34] Speaker 3: inspired by Acts.
[1:40] Speaker 1: Hi, everyone. It's Julianne Thompson, guest hosting for Julia Jeffress Sadler.
[1:45] Speaker 1: Welcome back. I just know you're going to love today's
[1:48] Speaker 1: story of the Kids Bible in a Year podcast. Peter
[1:52] Speaker 1: is stuck in prison, chained to two guards with 14 more,
[1:57] Speaker 1: making sure he stays put. But an angel of God
[2:02] Speaker 1: is going to have the final say. Listen in, and
[2:05] Speaker 1: you'll see.
[2:08] Speaker 3: King Herod began to do terrible things to the church.
[2:12] Speaker 3: He sent someone to murder James, brother of John.
[2:15] Speaker 1: With a sword.
[2:15] Speaker 3: The people of Jerusalem liked what Herod did. which gave
[2:20] Speaker 3: him the motivation to arrest Peter as well, even though
[2:24] Speaker 3: it was Passover. Herod had his guards put Peter in
[2:28] Speaker 3: prison and had him surrounded by 16 soldiers to guard him.
[2:33] Speaker 3: Peter was not set for trial until after the Passover
[2:36] Speaker 3: celebration had ended. So that whole week, Peter was to
[2:41] Speaker 3: be imprisoned and guarded by many of the king's guards.
[2:45] Speaker 3: While Peter was in prison, the church of Jerusalem began
[2:48] Speaker 3: to intercede in prayer on his behalf. On the night
[2:52] Speaker 3: before Passover ended, Herod had made plans to schedule Peter's
[2:56] Speaker 3: public trial for the next morning. God had other plans.
[3:01] Speaker 3: That night, God sent one of his angels to Peter,
[3:05] Speaker 3: who was sleeping soundly in his cell. Herod had guards
[3:08] Speaker 3: posted at every entrance and exit, making sure that no
[3:12] Speaker 3: one could get Peter out before his trial. God's angel
[3:17] Speaker 3: appeared in Peter's cell right next to him. Hurry, Peter,
[3:21] Speaker 3: we've got to go, the angel exclaimed. All of a sudden,
[3:25] Speaker 3: Peter's shackles fell off of his wrists, and he was
[3:29] Speaker 3: free from their grasp. Get up and get dressed. Get
[3:33] Speaker 3: your clothes, coat, and shoes. We have to leave, the
[3:37] Speaker 3: angel said. Peter followed the angel's instructions and followed this angel.
[3:42] Speaker 3: Peter looked at his situation realistically. doubting if this figure
[3:46] Speaker 3: of light was really an angel.
[3:48] Speaker 1: Am I dreaming?
[3:50] Speaker 3: Peter thought to himself. Peter and the angel passed two
[3:53] Speaker 3: guards effortlessly and made it to the gate of the city,
[3:57] Speaker 3: which opened by itself, leading them into the streets. The
[4:01] Speaker 3: angel left Peter when they approached the intersection, and Peter
[4:04] Speaker 3: came to his senses, realizing that he was not dreaming
[4:08] Speaker 3: at all.
[4:09] Speaker 2: Unbelievable!
[4:11] Speaker 3: My God sent me an angel! I'm freed! Herod cannot
[4:15] Speaker 3: touch me now. Peter ran to the home of John
[4:18] Speaker 3: Mark's mother, Mary. Still amazed at what God had done
[4:22] Speaker 3: for him, he reached the house and saw the house
[4:25] Speaker 3: packed full of people praying. So he knocked on the
[4:29] Speaker 3: courtyard door and a woman named Rhoda was about to
[4:32] Speaker 3: answer the door when she heard Peter's voice. She was
[4:36] Speaker 3: so excited that she ran to tell everyone leaving Peter
[4:40] Speaker 3: at the door. No one believed Rhoda when she told
[4:44] Speaker 3: them that Peter was indeed outside the house. They all
[4:48] Speaker 3: called her crazy, but she kept insisting that Peter was
[4:51] Speaker 3: at the door. All the while, Peter stood at the door,
[4:54] Speaker 3: knocking and knocking and knocking. The people in the house
[4:58] Speaker 3: finally came and opened the door for Peter, and when
[5:01] Speaker 3: they realized it was really him, they went crazy. Peter
[5:05] Speaker 3: raises his hands up and calmed the people down. He
[5:09] Speaker 3: then says, told them about what God had just done
[5:12] Speaker 3: for him and how he got out of the prison.
[5:16] Speaker 3: Peter said to the people, Tell James and the others
[5:19] Speaker 3: what the Lord did for me. With this, he left
[5:22] Speaker 3: the people and went to a different place. The next morning,
[5:26] Speaker 3: the prison exploded with noise as the soldiers began to
[5:30] Speaker 3: find out that Peter was missing. Herod sent soldiers out
[5:34] Speaker 3: to find Peter, but he could not be found. Herod
[5:39] Speaker 3: then questioned the guards as to how and why Peter
[5:42] Speaker 3: was gone. Not one of them could produce Peter or
[5:46] Speaker 3: an answer. So Herod had them killed. Later, Herod moved
[5:51] Speaker 3: from Judea to Caesarea. Herod was angry with some people
[5:56] Speaker 3: from Tyre to Sidon. They requested to speak with Herod
[6:00] Speaker 3: to ask for peace because Herod was the only food
[6:04] Speaker 3: source they had. Herod later put on his royal robes
[6:07] Speaker 3: and gave a speech. The people responded, These are the
[6:11] Speaker 3: words of a god. No man could produce words like these.
[6:16] Speaker 3: Herod received these flatteries and gave no credit to God.
[6:20] Speaker 3: God was fed up with Herod and his arrogance. So
[6:25] Speaker 3: he sent an angel to Herod and killed him, his
[6:29] Speaker 3: body eaten by worms and maggots. Even after this, God's
[6:34] Speaker 3: word still spread to many other nations and flourished.
[6:44] Speaker 1: Just amazing! If there's one thing we learn from today's story,
[6:49] Speaker 1: it's that God hears our prayers. Today we meet a
[6:54] Speaker 1: new King Herod, Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod
[6:58] Speaker 1: the Great, who ruled in the days of Jesus' birth.
[7:02] Speaker 1: Because many people were against Christians and because he knew
[7:06] Speaker 1: it could make him popular, Herod killed and punished many
[7:11] Speaker 1: believers in Christ. In fact, it is this very chapter
[7:16] Speaker 1: where we read that James, the brother of John and
[7:19] Speaker 1: one of Jesus' very best friends, was murdered because of
[7:23] Speaker 1: his faith. He would be the first martyr of all
[7:28] Speaker 1: twelve disciples. and he would come face to face with
[7:31] Speaker 1: the hard persecution that Jesus had warned them about. Hoping
[7:35] Speaker 1: to make the people happy, Herod arrested Peter and put
[7:38] Speaker 1: him in prison with 16 soldiers to guard him. Why 16?
[7:44] Speaker 1: He had heard stories of how Peter and other Christians
[7:47] Speaker 1: had escaped prison in the past. One squad was not enough,
[7:52] Speaker 1: so he used four. Peter would be there for a
[7:55] Speaker 1: whole week while he waited for his trial. And most likely,
[8:00] Speaker 1: after the trial, they would kill him. But something was stirring.
[8:05] Speaker 1: Do you know what it is? It was the prayers
[8:08] Speaker 1: of God's people. And what do you think holds more power?
[8:13] Speaker 1: Armed soldiers with swords and chains? Or God's people calling
[8:17] Speaker 1: out to him? I bet you know the answer. The
[8:21] Speaker 1: Bible says that constant prayer was offered to God. The
[8:25] Speaker 1: word constant can also be translated as earnest. That means very,
[8:30] Speaker 1: very hard, intense prayer. And get this. It's the same
[8:34] Speaker 1: word used to describe the prayers of Jesus in the
[8:37] Speaker 1: Garden of Gethsemane when he sweat drops of blood. Peter's
[8:41] Speaker 1: friends and family were not just throwing up a prayer like, God,
[8:45] Speaker 1: please help him.
[8:46] Speaker 3: Thanks.
[8:47] Speaker 1: No.
[8:48] Speaker 3: No.
[8:48] Speaker 1: They were probably crying, moaning, perhaps lying flat on the
[8:52] Speaker 1: ground and in desperation begging God to do something over
[8:57] Speaker 1: and over again. So here Peter is, sleeping soundly the
[9:02] Speaker 1: night before Herod would most likely kill him. Clearly the
[9:06] Speaker 1: Holy Spirit was with him, comforting him and ministering him
[9:11] Speaker 1: in the night. He feels someone hit his side. He
[9:15] Speaker 1: wakes up only to see a bright light and what
[9:17] Speaker 1: appears to be an angel. Without knowing what's happening, he
[9:22] Speaker 1: does what the angel says, gets dressed and walks straight
[9:26] Speaker 1: out the prison gates, just like that. So there he
[9:30] Speaker 1: stands in the middle of the street alone and he realizes,
[9:34] Speaker 1: God rescued me. He seems to know exactly where his
[9:38] Speaker 1: friends are praying because he goes straight to Mary's house.
[9:43] Speaker 1: I think the next part of the story is pretty funny. Rhoda,
[9:47] Speaker 1: a servant girl, sees Peter at the door and hears
[9:49] Speaker 1: his voice. She must have known him pretty well because
[9:53] Speaker 1: she recognizes the sound of his voice. That's Peter, the
[9:58] Speaker 1: guy we've been praying for all night. the guy who
[10:01] Speaker 1: is chained to two guards and in a prison cell
[10:04] Speaker 1: right now standing at the door knocking the bible tells
[10:08] Speaker 1: us that she's so excited that she runs off to
[10:11] Speaker 1: tell the packed full house that he's here can you
[10:14] Speaker 1: imagine what peter is thinking Hey, wait, what about me?
[10:19] Speaker 1: Come back and let me in. Surprisingly enough, even though
[10:23] Speaker 1: they were praying so very hard, Peter's friends did not
[10:27] Speaker 1: believe Rhoda. Did they not think God could do something
[10:31] Speaker 1: this great? Did they not believe he had the power
[10:33] Speaker 1: to rescue Peter? The truth is, many times we're like
[10:39] Speaker 1: those friends. We sometimes don't have the faith to believe
[10:42] Speaker 1: that God can do something big in our lives. But
[10:45] Speaker 1: thank goodness, he often does it anyways. Eventually, they found
[10:51] Speaker 1: Peter at the door and could not believe their eyes.
[10:54] Speaker 1: The house exploded in celebration as Peter explained everything. Of course,
[10:59] Speaker 1: you can imagine. Herod is furious and has the guards killed.
[11:04] Speaker 1: He continues to think that he is above God and, well,
[11:08] Speaker 1: finds out the hard way that he's not. Anyone who
[11:12] Speaker 1: goes against the God of the universe will never come
[11:15] Speaker 1: out on top. One more thing. Sometimes when I hear
[11:19] Speaker 1: this story, I wonder, why was James killed and Peter rescued?
[11:24] Speaker 1: It doesn't seem fair, does it? We must remind ourselves
[11:27] Speaker 1: that God's plan, whether or not we agree or understand,
[11:31] Speaker 1: is always the best plan. We don't know why he
[11:35] Speaker 1: does the things he does, but we do know one thing.
[11:39] Speaker 1: It was not time for Peter to go. His work
[11:42] Speaker 1: on earth was not finished. At the end of today's story,
[11:46] Speaker 1: we hear once again that the word of God grew
[11:49] Speaker 1: and multiplied. The schemes of the devil, the works of Herod,
[11:53] Speaker 1: and the swords of the soldiers could not stop the
[11:55] Speaker 1: church of Jesus Christ. And they never will. Thanks for
[12:00] Speaker 1: listening so well. Is there something big you want God
[12:04] Speaker 1: to do in your life? It might not be escaping
[12:07] Speaker 1: an execution. But whatever it is, he has the power
[12:11] Speaker 1: to do it. Ask for his perfect plan and put
[12:15] Speaker 1: all of your trust in him. Well, next time Paul
[12:19] Speaker 1: is on fire. Not literally. But the Holy Spirit is
[12:23] Speaker 1: lighting a flame like never before through the preaching of Paul.
[12:27] Speaker 1: And the mission continues. So come back to hear it.
[12:30] Speaker 1: You know what to say. The Bible is the best
[12:32] Speaker 1: story ever told. It's God's story to you. And it's
[12:36] Speaker 1: all true. Found joy in our podcast? Help others discover
[12:40] Speaker 1: us by writing a review and let's spread positivity far
[12:43] Speaker 1: and wide. Thanks for listening to Pray.com Kids Bible in
[12:47] Speaker 1: a Year. For more inspiring stories and wisdom to last
[12:50] Speaker 1: a lifetime, download the Pray.com app for free today. Thanks
[13:03] Speaker 1: for listening to Kids Bible in a Year. I want
[13:05] Speaker 1: to invite our adult listeners to check out my other show, Unapologetic,
[13:10] Speaker 1: God's Truth on Today's Topics. It's unfiltered, important, inspiring, and
[13:16] Speaker 1: we have awesome conversations and amazing guests such as Candice
[13:20] Speaker 1: Cameron Bray, Vice President Mike Pence, Dr. Robert Jeffress, Shannon Bream,
[13:26] Speaker 1: Maddie Pruitt, and so many others. We are helping you
[13:30] Speaker 1: have conversations, that empower you to have bold faith in
[13:35] Speaker 1: a broken world. You'll be excited, inspired, and encouraged in
[13:40] Speaker 1: your faith as you check out Unapologetic.
[13:42] Speaker 3: Remember that you can tune in wherever you get your
[13:45] Speaker 3: podcasts and on Pray.com.

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