Sometimes in 2016, Bill Whitaker talked to several condemned persons on Texas’ death row, just weeks before their executions. The goal was to find out what it feels like to face certain death. One of the respondents was Perry Williams, who killed a medical student in a robbery. He said he had the shakes and cold sweats as his execution approached. He observed that it was a worse feeling to know exactly when death was coming. It is safe to say that most people on death row would  experience anticipatory stress at some point.

When we are tempted to fall for anticipatory stress, let us adopt the prayer treatment. Pray the most you can; and if necessary, solicit prayers from others as well.

Our text suggests that Peter beat the odds. A night to his execution, he was found sleeping “bound with two chains between two soldiers”. Neither the fetters nor the soldiers could rob him of sleep. The news of his impending death was not strong enough to make him sleepless either. Acts 12:7 suggests that Peter must have been in a deep sleep as the angel literally had to strike him on the side to wake him. Where did he get that form of confidence from? We can think of the fact that he knew he had an eternity to spend with God. If it ended in death, he was not going to lose anything. Whatever we adduce as reason why he was restful and peaceful, we must never forget the role of prayer. While he was locked up in prison, the Church prayed for him unceasingly. I believe the prayer of the saints contributed to the calm we saw in Peter. When we are tempted to fall for anticipatory stress, let us adopt the prayer treatment. Pray the most you can; and if necessary, solicit prayers from others as well.