Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. Acts 5:17-21 NIV
If you are a Christian, you’ve gotta love this story! It so clearly demonstrates God’s superiority and power to protect us when we are walking in obedience to Him. It’s almost comical when you think about it. The highest leaders in Israel gathered together, in all their pomp and circumstance, with every intention of shutting down the gospel message through fear and intimidation. All the while, the apostles that God had rescued hours before were already back in the temple teaching about Jesus! You can be sure that as you walk in obedience to God, He is fully able to deliver you from every attack the enemy brings against you!
But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to. Acts 5;22-24 NIV
This is one of those “egg on your face” moments when one chief priest looks at another and simply says, “I’ve got nothing!” They were at a complete loss. Why? Because they were not in tune with the activity of God. At some point along the road, these leaders had focused on religion but had lost sight of God, and now they were clueless. That’s a very dangerous thing to do. Guard yourself against going through religious motions and be diligent to humble yourself before God on a daily basis, praying, worshiping, seeking insight from His word and enjoying time in His presence. As you keep your relationship with God current and fresh His Spirit will lead you into all truth and understanding.