The thought of some people brings a smile to our lips. Maybe it’s their kindness, thoughtfulness or reliability—the way they consistently show up and make everything better just by their presence.

Rhoda is like that for me. I can’t read about her in Acts 12 without smiling as I imagine her youthful exuberance and determination. Older, seemingly wiser people dismissed her account, but she proved a reliable witness.

We meet Rhoda at a dark and terrifying juncture in the history of the early church.

Persecution and Prison

Hatred for Jesus and His followers had become a unifying force among Jews and Romans. That hatred continued even after Jesus’ death on the cross. We see the martyrdom of Stephen in Acts 7, followed by the martyrdom of the apostle James, brother of John, in Acts 12.

Herod was on a roll. He didn’t stop there.

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.—Acts 12:3-4 (NIV)

While Peter was in prison, awaiting certain death, the church was earnestly praying to God for him (Acts 12:5b NIV). In what would prove to be a great surprise to the praying saints, the Lord heard and answered their prayers.

First Comes Prayer, Then Comes Peter

The night before Peter would stand trial, an angel came and set Peter free from the chains that bound him. Peter followed the angel past two sets of guards and through the city gate, which miraculously opened for them (Acts 12:6-10).

Peter realized it wasn’t a dream; he really was free.

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 is at the door!”—Acts 12:12-14 (NIV)

Picture the scene. This servant girl—possibly a slave, believed to have been between 12 and 15 years old—is working after hours manning the door during an intense prayer vigil. Then hearing Peter at the gate, she becomes so excited that she forgets to let him in. Instead she runs off to proclaim the good news.

The story always makes me laugh, but as a very excitable person, I can relate. In such moments, joy displaces reason. And perhaps Rhoda’s excitability and youth didn’t enhance her credibility.

“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”—Acts 12:15 (NIV)

Superstition initially prevailed over faith.

God’s Faithfulness and Rhoda’s Vindication

The disciples initially responded much in the same way they had to Mary Magdalene as she proclaimed she had seen the risen Christ. Meanwhile, Peter was waiting for someone to bring him inside so he could share what God had done.

But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James [the brother of Jesus] and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.—Acts 12:16-17 (NIV)

Finally they believed Rhoda because they had seen Peter with their own eyes.

What We Can Learn from Her

Are you surprised when God answers prayer in the way you hoped He would? Are you skeptical when you hear accounts of His divine hand in the lives of others?

Young Rhoda giddily responded to God’s miraculous intervention with eagerness to tell others what He had done. She refused to back down from what she knew to be true, regardless of her age, gender or social status.

Don’t be afraid to tell others what you have seen God do. Embrace joy, and never lose your sense of awe and wonder at the works of the Lord’s mighty hand.

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This is Part 28 in a series about biblical women—some named, some not, some honorable, some less so. But all have earned a place in scripture, and all have important lessons to teach us.