Prayer does make a difference (Acts 11-12)

What would have happened if the believers had not been praying fervently for Peter while he was imprisoned?  Why does the Bible even state that the believers were praying for him?  Acts 12:5 says, "Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church."  Why didn't Luke (the author of Acts) simply tell of Peter's miraculous story of release?  The answer is that prayer made the difference, and presumably, if the prayers were not lifted up for Peter then the outcome would have been totally different.  Sometimes we forget that our prayers do matter.  "God already knows everything," we reason.  While that is true, there is something extraordinary and mystical that happens when we come to our Heavenly Father in prayer.  Somehow our prayers have the potential to change the situation, and when we don't prayer we lose that potential.  What's really funny to me is that the church didn't expect Peter to get brought out of jail that night.  When Rhoda saw Peter, she left the poor guy standing outside the gate and tried to convince the others that she had just seen their friend.  The church didn't know how or even if God would fix this situation, but they entrusted it into His loving hands.  Is there an impossible situation in your life that you need to entrust into the hands of your loving, Heavenly Father?  Don't delay!  Your prayers are powerful, and they have the potential of changing the outcome.