Living Water #502

LIVING WATER EPISODE 502 || 19TH OCTOBER, 2025

By Solomon Uwumbolibe Mensah

IT MUST BE HIS ANGEL

Acts 12:15

“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

The early Church was a praying Church. After Peter was imprisoned by Herod, the believers gathered in Mary’s house to intercede for his release. They prayed fervently, yet when God answered their prayer, they struggled to believe it.

Rhoda, a servant girl, heard Peter’s voice at the door and ran to announce the miracle. Instead of rejoicing, the others dismissed her, “You are out of your mind!” And when she insisted, they rationalized, “It must be his angel.”

This passage reveals a tension that still exists today: how believers can pray for miracles yet doubt the very manifestation of the answers they seek.

1. The Church Was Praying

The early believers prayed earnestly for Peter’s release, yet when the miracle happened, they could hardly believe it. This shows that prayer without expectation is incomplete. Many times, we cry out to God but secretly doubt that He will answer soon or in the way we desire. True faith is not only in the asking but in confidently expecting that God will respond. Just as the Church prayed and still struggled to believe, we too must learn to align our expectations with our petitions, trusting that God hears and acts even before we finish praying.

2. Rhoda’s Faith Was Simple but Sharp

Rhoda’s response stands out as pure and immediate, she heard Peter’s voice and believed at once that God had answered their prayer. Without hesitation, she ran to announce the good news, showing a heart that was both receptive and full of faith. Her faith was simple but sharp; it needed no proof, only recognition of God’s power. Sometimes, it takes a “Rhoda spirit” to remind the Church that God still does the miraculous. God often uses humble, unnoticed believers to witness and announce His greatest works because they believe without doubting.

3. The Response of the Church:

When Rhoda declared that Peter was at the door, the others mocked her, saying she was out of her mind. This reveals how even believers can resist the reality of answered prayer when it defies logic. They were so focused on their situation that they could not imagine God had already acted. Faith often makes a person sound irrational to those who rely only on reason. Yet, it is better to appear “out of your mind” for believing God than to remain trapped by unbelief. We must be careful not to silence the voices of faith among us just because they sound too hopeful.

4. “It Must Be His Angel”

Unable to believe that Peter was truly free, the Church tried to rationalize the miracle, saying, “It must be his angel.” Instead of acknowledging divine intervention, they reduced it to a spiritual theory. This tendency still exists today — when faced with God’s supernatural work, we often explain it away as coincidence or imagination. But faith accepts what God has done without the need for over analysis. When the answer to prayer comes knocking, we should not debate or delay but receive it with gratitude and amazement. God’s wonders are not to be reasoned away but to be recognized.

5. God Answers Beyond Our Understanding

Despite their unbelief, God still answered the Church’s prayer and delivered Peter. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. This shows the mercy and greatness of God; that He works beyond our limited understanding and faith. Even when our faith falters, His power remains steadfast. God often exceeds our expectations, not because we are perfect in prayer, but because He is perfect in His purpose. Every answered prayer is a reminder that His ability far surpasses our imagination, and His grace fills the gap between our praying and believing.

Call to Action:

To the believer: Do not mock the faith of those who still expect miracles.

To the Church: Pray, but also prepare for the answer.

To the skeptic: God still moves today, even when you least expect it.

Prayer

Heavenly father, forgive us for the times we have prayed without expecting You to move.
Ignite in us a Rhoda kind of faith, quick to believe, ready to rejoice, and bold to testify.
Let us not explain away Your wonders, but open the door when You knock.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.”