The setting of Acts 12 is pretty bleak. Peter was in prison, chained to two Roman soldiers. King Herod had already executed James, Peter’s fellow apostle, for his Christian ministry. It was the night before Peter’s trial, where, in all likelihood, he, too, would be found “guilty” and executed. And what was Peter doing in what may have been the last few hours of his life? He was sleeping.
He was probably the only Christian in Jerusalem asleep that night. Everyone else was praying fervently for his release. So why was Peter asleep? Because he trusted in the Lord.
This isn’t the only instance of Peter sleeping in the Bible. In the Garden of Gethsemane, on the night of Jesus’ arrest, Jesus said to Peter, James, and John, “Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:38). Jesus went off to pray, came back, and found them sleeping. “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak,” Jesus said (verse 41).
Jesus went off again, came back, and found them sleeping again. And then it happened a third time.
In Luke 9, Jesus took the same three men to a mountain to pray. While they were there, Jesus was transfigured. Moses appeared on one side of Him; Elijah appeared on the other. And Peter? Peter and the others had fallen asleep (verse 32). […]
— Read More: harbingersdaily.com
