In today's message, we explored the powerful narrative of Peter's miraculous escape from prison as recounted in Acts chapter 12. This story serves as a profound reminder of the power of prayer and the unexpected ways God can intervene in our lives. We began by reflecting on the concept of darkness, both literal and metaphorical, and how it can imprison us. Just as Peter was physically imprisoned, many of us or those around us may find ourselves trapped in prisons of sin, addiction, or despair. The church's role is to earnestly pray for those in such darkness, trusting that God can bring light and freedom.

Peter's story illustrates the miraculous power of prayer. Despite being heavily guarded, an angel of the Lord appeared, and Peter's chains fell off, leading him to freedom. This miraculous event was a direct result of the church's earnest prayers. It challenges us to pray continuously, carrying the Lord with us in every moment, and to believe in the power of our prayers to bring about divine intervention.

We also discussed the importance of recognizing God's timing. God's answers often come at unexpected times, and His solutions can exceed our expectations. The church was praying for Peter, but they were not prepared for the immediacy and magnitude of God's response. This teaches us to be watchful and expectant, ready to celebrate when God answers our prayers in ways we could not have imagined.

Furthermore, we must be willing to accept and embrace the changes God brings into our lives and the lives of others. When Peter knocked on the door of the praying church, they initially refused to believe it was him. This serves as a reminder to open our hearts and minds to the transformations God can bring, even when they defy our expectations.

Finally, we are called to be a church of prayer, actively seeking to set people free from their prisons. As we approach Easter, we are encouraged to pray for those who need the light of Christ in their lives, trusting that our prayers can open doors and bring about miraculous change.

**Key Takeaways:**

1. **The Power of Prayer:** Prayer is a powerful tool that can bring light into the darkest situations. Just as the church's prayers led to Peter's miraculous escape, our prayers can lead to divine intervention in our lives and the lives of others. We are called to pray earnestly and continuously, trusting in God's ability to bring freedom and light. [35:07]

2. **God's Timing:** God's answers often come at unexpected times, and His solutions can exceed our expectations. We must learn to trust in His timing, knowing that He is never late. Our prayers may be answered in ways we cannot foresee, and we should be ready to embrace the unexpected. [49:18]

3. **Expecting God's Answers:** We should be watchful and expectant, ready to celebrate when God answers our prayers. Doubts may arise, but we must remain open to the possibility of God's miraculous intervention. When God answers, it often surpasses our imagination, reminding us of His greatness. [54:38]

4. **Embracing Change:** When God brings change, we must be willing to accept and embrace it. The church initially doubted Peter's presence at the door, but we must learn to open the door to the transformations God brings, even when they defy our expectations. [52:06]

5. **A Call to Prayer:** As a church, we are called to be a community of prayer, actively seeking to set people free from their prisons. We are encouraged to pray for those who need the light of Christ, trusting that our prayers can open doors and bring about miraculous change. [58:03]

**Youtube Chapters:**

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:30] - Introduction to the Series
- [01:15] - Peter's Imprisonment
- [02:45] - The Power of Darkness
- [04:00] - The Church's Earnest Prayer
- [05:30] - Peter's Miraculous Escape
- [07:00] - God's Timing and Intervention
- [08:30] - Expecting God's Answers
- [10:00] - Embracing Change
- [11:30] - A Call to Prayer
- [13:00] - Preparing for Easter
- [14:30] - Conclusion and Prayer

**Bible Study Discussion Guide**

**Bible Reading:**
- Acts 12:1-17
- 1 Thessalonians 5:17
- Ephesians 3:20-21

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**Observation Questions:**

1. What was the church's response to Peter's imprisonment, and how did it impact the outcome? ([35:07])
2. Describe the sequence of events that led to Peter's escape from prison. What role did the angel play in this narrative? ([42:42])
3. How did the church react when Peter knocked on the door after his escape? What does this reveal about their expectations? ([52:06])
4. What does the passage in Ephesians 3:20-21 suggest about God's ability to answer prayers?

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**Interpretation Questions:**

1. How does the story of Peter's escape illustrate the power of prayer in seemingly impossible situations? ([46:13])
2. In what ways does God's timing challenge or affirm the faith of believers, as seen in Peter's story? ([49:18])
3. Why might the church have struggled to believe that Peter was at the door, despite their prayers for his release? ([54:38])
4. How can the church today learn from the early church's example of earnest prayer and expectation of God's intervention?

---

**Application Questions:**

1. Reflect on a time when you felt imprisoned by a situation or emotion. How can the story of Peter's escape encourage you to seek God's intervention through prayer? ([35:07])
2. How can you incorporate the practice of "praying continuously" into your daily routine, as suggested in 1 Thessalonians 5:17? What might that look like practically for you? ([42:42])
3. Think of a situation where you are waiting for God's timing. How can you remain patient and expectant, trusting that God is never late? ([49:18])
4. Have you ever been surprised by an answer to prayer that exceeded your expectations? How did that experience shape your faith?
5. How can you be more open to the changes God brings into your life, even when they defy your expectations? ([54:38])
6. Identify someone in your life who might be in a "prison" of their own. How can you commit to praying for them and supporting them in their journey toward freedom? ([58:03])
7. As Easter approaches, who are you praying for to experience the light of Christ? How can you actively participate in bringing that light into their lives? ([01:00:43])

Day 1: The Transformative Power of Prayer
Prayer is a powerful tool that can bring light into the darkest situations. Just as the church's prayers led to Peter's miraculous escape, our prayers can lead to divine intervention in our lives and the lives of others. We are called to pray earnestly and continuously, trusting in God's ability to bring freedom and light. The story of Peter's escape from prison in Acts 12 is a testament to the miraculous power of prayer. Despite being heavily guarded, an angel of the Lord appeared, and Peter's chains fell off, leading him to freedom. This miraculous event was a direct result of the church's earnest prayers. It challenges us to pray continuously, carrying the Lord with us in every moment, and to believe in the power of our prayers to bring about divine intervention. [35:07]

Acts 16:25-26 (ESV): "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened."

Reflection: Think of a situation in your life that feels like a prison. How can you commit to praying earnestly for God's intervention in this area today?


Day 2: Trusting in God's Perfect Timing
God's answers often come at unexpected times, and His solutions can exceed our expectations. We must learn to trust in His timing, knowing that He is never late. Our prayers may be answered in ways we cannot foresee, and we should be ready to embrace the unexpected. The church was praying for Peter, but they were not prepared for the immediacy and magnitude of God's response. This teaches us to be watchful and expectant, ready to celebrate when God answers our prayers in ways we could not have imagined. [49:18]

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV): "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."

Reflection: Reflect on a time when God's timing surprised you. How can you cultivate patience and trust in His timing for your current prayers?


Day 3: Living with Expectation of God's Answers
We should be watchful and expectant, ready to celebrate when God answers our prayers. Doubts may arise, but we must remain open to the possibility of God's miraculous intervention. When God answers, it often surpasses our imagination, reminding us of His greatness. The church was praying for Peter, but they were not prepared for the immediacy and magnitude of God's response. This teaches us to be watchful and expectant, ready to celebrate when God answers our prayers in ways we could not have imagined. [54:38]

Habakkuk 1:5 (ESV): "Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told."

Reflection: What is one prayer you have been hesitant to believe God will answer? How can you shift your mindset to one of expectation and readiness to celebrate His response?


Day 4: Embracing God's Transformative Changes
When God brings change, we must be willing to accept and embrace it. The church initially doubted Peter's presence at the door, but we must learn to open the door to the transformations God brings, even when they defy our expectations. This serves as a reminder to open our hearts and minds to the transformations God can bring, even when they defy our expectations. [52:06]

Isaiah 43:19 (ESV): "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

Reflection: Consider a change God has brought into your life that you resisted. How can you open your heart to embrace His transformative work today?


Day 5: Becoming a Community of Prayer
As a church, we are called to be a community of prayer, actively seeking to set people free from their prisons. We are encouraged to pray for those who need the light of Christ, trusting that our prayers can open doors and bring about miraculous change. As we approach Easter, we are encouraged to pray for those who need the light of Christ in their lives, trusting that our prayers can open doors and bring about miraculous change. [58:03]

Colossians 4:2-3 (ESV): "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison."

Reflection: Who in your life is in need of the light of Christ? How can you commit to praying for them and being part of a community that seeks their freedom?

"Now, I'm not necessarily just talking about those incarcerated, certainly those within the prison system. If we have some connection and can pray for them, we should. But when I see this word prison, I think you and I are surrounded, and maybe we find ourselves, we are surrounded by folks in a prison. Maybe even we ourselves are in a prison." [00:36:15] (37 seconds) Edit Clip


"Now, beloved, I want you to get a hold of this picture and see what prayer can do. I want you to understand that Hope of the Beach Church is called to be a church of prayer. And we are to be praying for those who find themselves in a prison of sorts. And we are to pray for them so that in their darkness, guess what happens? A light shines." [00:43:48] (28 seconds) Edit Clip


"See, what interested me here, and in fact, Pastor Jason and I talked about this for a little bit. The Bible doesn't tell us what the church was praying for. Now, I've been in church work a while. And I can tell you, my experience is that if this were a prayer meeting I was leading, I don't believe I would hear anyone pray, Lord, I'm asking you to send a name. I don't believe it." [00:44:54] (51 seconds) Edit Clip


"angel to Peter's prison, and could you wake him up, get him dressed, and could you get him past the two guys he's sleeping between, and could you get him past 16 other guards? Because that would be awesome. I don't expect to hear that prayer. What I expect the prayer to be is, Lord, be with Peter. News, the Lord's already with Peter." [00:45:45] (52 seconds) Edit Clip


"We need Peter out of prison. That's what we need. We need Peter to be set free. Peter wants to be set free. You have friends, family, who are fighting that addiction, fighting that bitter attitude, fighting that old habit, that struggle of some sort. They're in the dark. They can't see where to go. And we need to ask God to shine a light into their life. We need Jesus to come today." [00:46:42] (45 seconds) Edit Clip


"God's answers come on his time frame. We could be praying earnestly, but God doesn't deliver Peter until the night before. The night before, Herod was going to bring him to trial. See, here's one thing I've learned about God. He may never be early. He can be early, but he may not be. But he's never late. God's never late." [00:49:37] (44 seconds) Edit Clip


"But prayers come answered on his time frame, and often his answers will exceed our expectation. So, like I said, I don't think the church expected Peter to be at the door. How many times have you been surprised by God's answer? How many times has it come back bigger than you ever dreamed?" [00:49:52] (33 seconds) Edit Clip


"See the scripture promises here in Ephesians chapter 3, now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. According to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen." [00:50:29] (34 seconds) Edit Clip


"God can do way more than we can even think that we ask. Our prayers may be weak. We may be asking God to just be with Peter and God wants to release Peter. We're afraid sometimes to ask too big, but we should ask big because God's big. Don't you think? We can ask big. It's okay." [00:50:56] (37 seconds) Edit Clip


"The God I serve spends most of his time looking at me thinking, Rice, why are you so wimpy? Give me something good. Trust me for something amazing. Jesus. God wants to answer our prayer. And he does. And he can do more than we ever expect. So let's see what happens. Peter comes to himself, the Bible says." [00:51:50] (38 seconds) Edit Clip


"And he says, Now I know without a doubt, the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen. And when this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door." [00:52:26] (29 seconds) Edit Clip

Check one, two. Check, check. Let me hold on. Has anybody heard any good stories? Well, thanks for being here. Let's prep. I do still have time to bring you a message, so that's good. I am Steve, and I am blessed to be the director of ministries here at Hope. I've been here about a month, so it's good to be back with you on the beach and to continue our series on being sent.

In our last message, we heard how Peter received the instruction to carry the gospel to the Gentiles. And so he's on that mission when we pick up the action in Acts chapter 12 today. And Peter is interrupted by King Herod.

Let me ask you, have you ever been in the dark? It's so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Yeah, I was in a cave once, and they turned the lights out for us to experience that thick, heavy darkness. I mean, you couldn't really even hardly know your hand was moving. You couldn't feel. Well, Peter finds himself today in that kind of darkness, in a prison. It was probably lit by some torch lamps, but it was dark. And so we're going to see how he got out of there today.

So let's look at our scripture. Let's begin with Acts chapter 12, verses 1 through 5.

"It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church. Intending to persecute them, he had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the festival of unleavened bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him."

Now, we're going to make this an interactive morning, okay? Those words, "earnestly praying," we're going to call those out once in a while. I'm going to ask you, what was the church doing? There we go. See? This will be fun, won't it?

Yeah. I know you're excited about it. Here's what we're going to learn today. We start with point number one. We need to pray for those in prison.

Now, I'm not necessarily just talking about those incarcerated, certainly those within the prison system. If we have some connection and can pray for them, we should. But when I see this word "prison," I think you and I are surrounded, and maybe we find ourselves, we are surrounded by folks in a prison. Maybe even we ourselves are in a prison. We are in the dark in an area of our life. We are locked up.

Peter found himself in all kinds of shackles and guards, and he did not have a will of his own. So many times, people can be imprisoned by their sin. So many times, we can become handcuffed, chained, tethered by our sin. We can't get away from it. We're surrounded by folks who are in prison.

Now, we've fancied it up in our day and time. We'll even drill deliver mail to prisons. Other prisons, our next-door neighbor may be in prison, and we don't even know they're locked up and chained up by some sin in their life, some issue they're struggling with. And the church is to pray for them.

Peter is in prison. Now, this is where the fun starts because the church is doing what? Right, they're earnestly praying for Peter, but they're not ready for what happens. They are not even halfway prepared for a knock on the door.

So I want us to look at this. Let's look at our memory verse. It's quite simple: pray continually means that I carry the Lord with me all the time, and I am praying continually. I am always conscious of the Lord in my life and what he would have me do. And so our memory verse is just that in 1 Thessalonians 5:17: "Pray continuously."

So let's see what happens next. This is a great event. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up.

"Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him.

Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and the second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

Now, you got to get this picture. Peter is sleeping between two guards. The Romans had a habit: if their prisoner escaped, the guards were put to death, so they weren't taking this job lightly. So he's sleeping between two guards.

Today, it's... Thank you. And the angel comes and wakes him up, pokes him on the side. "Get up." Now Peter jumps up. The angel tells him to get dressed, get your coat, we're going. Peter is following instructions, but he doesn't think it's real. He thinks it's a vision. He thinks he's just dreaming a little bit. He's seeing what could happen or might happen.

But Peter finally is following. They go past the first four guards. They go past the second four guards and out the door, which opened by itself. Of course, it did. So the door opens by itself. And Peter, all of a sudden, is back in the city. And when he gets a block away from the prison, the angel's gone. And Peter is out of prison. He's out.

There's a couple of things that strike me here. One is all the heavy guard that never woke up, never saw him walk out of the prison. And the other thing is even a light shone. Did you see that? Now they're in a dark cave. Maybe some torch lights at best. And a light shines.

Now, this is a point of emphasis. Because the church was earnestly praying, Peter, in prison, is awakened by an angel, and the light is shining. Now, beloved, I want you to get a hold of this picture and see what prayer can do. I want you to understand that Hope of the Beach Church is called to be a church of prayer. And we are to be praying for those who find themselves in a prison of sorts.

And we are to pray for them so that in their darkness, guess what happens? A light shines. Jesus comes to their life. And all of a sudden, in the darkness, when they don't understand where to go next, they don't have an answer for their dilemma, they don't know what to do or even where to reach out, Jesus brings a light.

And why would he do that? Because the church is earnestly praying. It's what we do. We pray for food.

See, what interested me here, and in fact, Pastor Jason and I talked about this for a little bit, the Bible doesn't tell us what the church was praying for. Now, I've been in church work a while, and I can tell you, my experience is that if this were a prayer meeting I was leading, I don't believe I would hear anyone pray, "Lord, I'm asking you to send an angel to Peter's prison, and could you wake him up, get him dressed, and could you get him past the two guys he's sleeping between, and could you get him past 16 other guards?" Because that would be awesome.

I don't expect to hear that prayer. What I expect the prayer to be is, "Lord, be with Peter." News: the Lord's already with Peter. We need Peter out of prison. That's what we need. We need Peter to be set free. Peter wants to be set free.

You have friends, family, who are fighting that addiction, fighting that bitter attitude, fighting that old habit, that struggle of some sort. They're in the dark. They can't see where to go. And we need to ask God to shine a light into their life. We need Jesus to come today. We need to pray for folks to come out of prison.

So, Peter finds himself in the city, and he's not sure what to do next. So, what he decides to do is go where he's most comfortable, and that's to the church, where they have been earnestly praying.

You're getting weaker on me. I feel you fading. You're tired of the game already. I get it. So, he's got to go to the church. Well, the church in these days met in housing, prayer meeting. They're still praying for him to get out of prison.

Now, this is where we turn into the average church. Because they're praying for Peter. There's a knock on the door, and they refuse to believe that it's Peter.

Let's look at what the Bible tells us. First of all, let me give you number two. God's answers come on his time frame. We could be praying earnestly, but God doesn't deliver Peter until the night before. The night before, Herod was going to bring him to trial.

See, here's one thing I've learned about God. He may never be early. He can be early, but he may not be. But he's never late. God's never late. But prayers come answered on his time frame, and often his answers will exceed our expectation.

So, like I said, I don't think the church expected Peter to be at the door. How many times have you been surprised by God's answer? How many times has it come back bigger than you ever dreamed?

See, the scripture promises here in Ephesians chapter 3, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

God can do way more than we can even think that we ask. Our prayers may be weak. We may be asking God to just be with Peter, and God wants to release Peter. We're afraid sometimes to ask too big, but we should ask big because God's big. Don't you think? We can ask big. It's okay.

God's not on his throne this morning receiving your prayers and biting his nails and going, "Oh my gosh, I didn't see that coming. I didn't know Doug was going to want that." No, that's not the God I serve. The God I serve spends most of his time looking at me thinking, "Rice, why are you so wimpy? Give me something good. Trust me for something amazing."

God wants to answer our prayer. And he does. And he can do more than we ever expect. So let's see what happens.

Peter comes to himself, the Bible says. And he says, "Now I know without a doubt, the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen."

And when this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.

When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed, she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter's at the door."

Now poor Peter has just escaped from prison, and he's gone to the one place he thinks can help him. And he knocks on the door, and Rhoda forgets to open it. She's so excited. She runs back, tells the group, "Peter's at the door."

"You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting it was so, they said, "It must be his angel." But Peter kept on knocking. And when they opened the door, they saw him, and they were astonished.

But Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this," he said, and he left for another place. He got out of there.

They finally opened the door and let him in, and he's like, "I just got out of prison. I got to go." But tell everybody what God did. And off he went when they finally decided to open the door.

How many times have we refused? This is kind of a punch in the gut. How many times have we refused to receive the change in people when the light comes on? Peter's knocking at the door. They can't let him in. They can't even believe it's him. Rhoda's out of her mind.

But we have to learn to open the door. When folks change, we've got to receive them and accept them. Peter reaches this point.

Look at point three. We should watch and expect God's answer. Look at Colossians chapter 4. "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains."

Letter A there. Doubts happen. It's okay in your prayer to have a doubt. It's okay to wonder if God's going to come through. They happen. The church obviously had been praying earnestly, and yet when the answer came, they weren't ready.

Are you ready? Are you ready for God to do the big thing in your life? You see, when God answers, we should celebrate. Rhoda did. She was so excited, she couldn't open the door. Rhoda couldn't wait to tell everybody, "It's Peter!" And they said, "You're out of your mind. You're a crazy girl." But it was true.

Now, we finish with number four. Peter recognized God's hand opened the door. The message is entitled, "Prayer Opens Doors."

Let's write and unde... He told me to find ourselves in... I guess, let's be at logical base or to get subconsciously about. Let go.

Prayer does open doors. I'm trying to get to my card. I want to invite you to find this. It's in your bulletin this morning. Monopoly card. It's a get-out-of-jail-free card. On the back, a place for you to list who you're praying for.

We're two weeks away from Easter. Easter, you've seen Easter on the beach before. You know how many people Hope on the Beach Church is expecting on Easter morning at both our sunrise service and our 8:30 beach service. You know what that looks like. You know that people turn their hearts and their minds to the cross and the tomb on Easter. We have their attention.

So who are you praying for? Who needs the light to shine? Who needs to be delivered from their darkness? Who do you know? This is for you to keep. You feel who you're praying for. Maybe it doesn't come to you right now, but before the day's over, you'll have names to put here. Maybe you'll have names by tomorrow. Keep the card. Put it on the fridge.

And when you think of someone, maybe someone this week is going to share with you the darkness they're in. Maybe they're going to tell you about a broken relationship, or they're going to confide in you about a habit they just can't break, or the weight of sin that's on them. They won't describe it that way, but that's what they'll be talking about. And you'll know the light needs to shine.

Begin to pray. Begin to pray. Ask God to turn to unbelievers. This is what being a part of Hope on the Beach Church is about: prayer, setting people free.

Our mission is to awaken Jesus in the hearts of everyone, everywhere, every day. We want lights to go on. We want the light to shine.

So this morning, I don't know who you might be praying for. You might be having your own battles. And if you need prayer, you can put that on the back of your connection card, and we will pray for you. We want God's light to shine. That's what we want.

May he shine on you and those you love. Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you for the goodness of your heart, for the love you bring us, for the grace you extend to us. And Father, we thank you for the promise of this story about Peter. The promise that it brings to a church who might pray for those in darkness around us.

In these next weeks, may we see your hand move mightily as we pray one by one for the folks on our list. We want them to be freed. And we ask for that in Jesus' name.

Let's pray as we have been taught.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.