Acts 12:12-17. When he realizes he has been freed by the angel, Peter goes to the house of Mary, mother of John (also known as Mark), where many disciples are gathered and praying. He knocks on the door of the gateway and a maid named Rhoda comes to answer. When she hears Peter's voice, she is so excited that she goes to tell the others without even opening the gate for him. The others think she is mad, but she keeps insisting, and Peter keeps knocking, so eventually they open the gate and see Peter. They are amazed, but Peter motions for them to stay quiet and describes how he was brought out of prison by an angel of the Lord. He tells them to tell his story to James and the other apostles and he departs from there.

It is so difficult sometimes for us to see and accept God's amazing power and goodness, especially when we are in a bad place. The disciples in Mary's house know that Peter is in prison and about to be brought to trial. They've seen this movie before, very recently, so they fully expect a very result. They are gathered in prayer, as they should be, but they are so fully expecting a bad outcome, that they are blind to the possibility of a miracle. When the maid comes and tells them, essentially, that their prayers have been answered, and that Peter is free, they don't believe it, they don't see any way that Peter could actually be at the gate. If only human power existed, they would be right - there is no way Peter could have escaped from his heavily guarded jail cell and his chains under just human agency, but these disciples, in their anguish and their anxiety, forget the awesome power of God! Nothing is impossible with God!

How can we avoid these disciples' mistake of letting our anguish make us not hear the answer to our prayers knocking at the door? Praying in the Divine Will is the answer. Prayer is, of course, essential at all times, and especially when we find ourselves in a seemingly hopeless situation. But what prayer will get us to the place where we are just as ready to accept the bad outcome that seems inevitable or the miraculous outcome that God sometimes provides? Our prayers should be like Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane - "Thy will be done." This prayer is always answered, because God's will is always done, and sometimes, as we see here, God's will is to perform a miracle. Praying in the Divine Will will lead us to a peaceful acceptance that whatever happens, God knows about it, He knows what we would like, and He is achieving good, as He always does. This prayer makes us ready to accept the reality of evil, and the suffering we must endure because of it, but also makes us prepared to accept the joy of God's miracles when they happen.

Praying in the Divine Will, merging our will with His, leads to peace and joy no matter what. It would have made these disciples more willing to believe that the answer to their prayers was indeed knocking at the gate, and it will keep us from overlooking the miracles, small and great, that often come knocking at our door.