Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me." So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people." Acts 12:7-11
Peter’s deliverance from prison was indeed miraculous. He could have been released as the result of a decision, and though that would not have been likely, it would not have been a miracle. That it was a miracle is obvious because of angelic intervention. Chains falling off (without the use of keys) is clearly miraculous.
Do mortal believers have any part in the miraculous? Only this: in verse 5, the church was praying. Prayer does not cause miracles. Miracles are God’s work, but let us remember James’ words, “you do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2). God has sovereignly chosen to act as we pray. That does not mean that we can pray insisting that God acts according to our prayers. But as we pray according to God’s will, God sovereignly acts—sometimes performing miracles.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 calls us to “pray without ceasing.” These prayers and their answers may or may not involve miracles, but who knows what miracles we may not see because we do not pray?!
Some suggest that if we do not see all answers to prayer as miraculous, we rob God of His glory. I respectfully disagree. Though we do not want to rob God of His glory, nor do we want to dismiss the truly miraculous as not miraculous, neither do we want to minimize the truly miraculous by calling things miraculous that are not!