Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.
Acts 12:5-6

Peter was in jail for his faith in Christ. There was no imaginable escape from a trial and probably a speedy execution. Yet Peter was asleep. We mentioned last time that while anxiety is real and frequently overtakes believers, and while God uses our anxiety to draw us to Himself, He draws us that we might experience His peace.

We gave three passages to prayerfully meditate on when experiencing anxiety. Let me unpack the first of those three passages a bit.

John 14:1 & 27 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me... 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

From Jesus’ words while in the upper room with the disciples just a few hours before He was to be betrayed, Jesus told the disciples He was leaving. Even though they didn’t understand what He had previously told them about the coming crucifixion, the disciples had need to be anxious. They left everything to follow Jesus and now He was leaving? This was bad, indeed—from their perspective.

But Jesus not only tells them not to be troubled [anxious], but He speaks to them about His peace. Learn first, that anxiety (though we often sense it) is not God’s ideal for His people. (v.1 & 27)

Learn second, that the prescription is believing, or trusting in God and in the Lord Jesus. (v.1)

Third, there is no mention of deliverance from circumstances that cause anxiety, only peace, presumably in those circumstances. He promises peace—not deliverance or exemption from fear,

Fourth, Jesus identified “His peace” as not like the peace we might find in the world. Think of the kinds of peace and the ways to escape anxiety the world has to offer. They are all external and temporary. His peace is real, internal, and lasting.

Let us remember Jesus’ words when we are feeling anxious.