“This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you will eat it in a hurry. It is the Lord’s Passover.”
Exodus 12:11 (NAB)
“The angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, “Get up quickly.” The chains fell from his wrists. Put on your belt and your sandals.” He did so. Then he said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.”
Acts 12:7-8 (NAB)
Coincidentally, the 12th chapter of the book of Exodus and the 12th chapter of the book of Acts, both describe a miraculous deliverance, with similarities in how they were told to prepare.
The angel told Peter to quickly get up, put on his cloak and sandals, because he was about to be freed from his prison cell. The angel broke the chains on his wrist and opened iron doors, setting him free.
God gave instructions to Moses, to tell the people to eat their Passover meal in a hurry, with their sandals on, a staff in hand, and a belt around their waist. The belt was used to tuck their lengthy garments into, freeing their legs to walk faster, since they were about to cross the sea on dry land.
The similarities in both of these chapters, to stay alert, put shoes and clothes on, and prepare to move quickly, reveals something about our relationship with the Lord. That first Passover was not a relaxing laid back meal, but a divine order to eat and run. In the same way, the angel woke Peter out of a deep sleep, ordering him to get up, get dressed and quickly follow him.
As people of faith, we have to wonder what God is trying to say to us through these two separate but similar stories. Maybe God wants us to wake up and live with a more spiritually sober state of mind. Peter and the Israelites were both ordered to act quickly and prepare for a miracle.
Whatever we are praying for, waiting for, or believing God for, maybe God wants us to live with a heightened sense of expectation, whether our prayer is for healing or deliverance for ourselves or for our loved ones. It seems that the message in these two stories, is that God wants us to be ready for action.
The Israelites prayed for centuries, asking God for their freedom, and 430 years later, they were freed in a miraculous exodus, as God showed great signs and wonders. The early church gathered together and prayed fervently for Peter, after he was arrested and chained to a prison cell in a dungeon. An angel appeared, woke him up and led Peter to walk past multiple Roman guards and out of that prison.
Fervent prayer in both stories, brought blessings far beyond what Peter or the Israelites ever thought or expected. Putting on the sandals, cloak or belt, is a symbolic act of preparedness and putting faith into action. Moving quickly, instead of procrastinating, was the required response to God’s orders. Some prayer requests require action on our part, but we can always expect God to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)
Maybe God is inspiring us to pray with a sense of expectation, and to believe that the healing, deliverance, and freedom that we are asking for, is coming soon. At some point in our asking and seeking, we must put on our metaphorical sandals, with the staff in hand and belt around our waist, as we prepare to walk quickly and take action toward the promise that God is leading us to.
Lord, help us to put our faith into action, instead of procrastinating, so we can keep a prepared and expectant state of mind for the miracles we are praying for. Amen
