阅读经文 

雅各和他的兄弟约翰，都蒙召做耶稣的门徒，他们的性格相当激烈，所以耶稣为他们起了“雷子”这个绰号。（参可 3:17；路 9:54）连同彼得，他们三人成为最接近耶稣的几个门徒。（参可 9:2，14:33）耶稣受死和复活之后，教会开始增长，雅各成为第一个因信基督以致被杀的使徒。

“希律王下手苦害教会中几个人。”希律大概因雅各被公认为教会领袖，所以便把雅各杀害了；当他看到掌权的犹太人赞同他这样做时，他也捉拿了彼得。

教会因此切切为彼得祷告。神必定仍然有更多事情等着彼得去做的，所以，在彼得受审的前一晚，神差遣一个天使来救彼得离开监牢。实在是奇妙！

有时，人们对这件事会有一个疑问。神为什么容许雅各被杀、却又差遣使者去救彼得？神是否不公平呢？答案是否定的。

神对我们每个人的一生都有祂的计划，祂呼召我们服侍祂，直到祂预备好我们，领到祂面前的那一刻；而当我们继续活在这个苦难的世界时，神也必定会供应我们所需要的。

在神里面，我们有安稳的永恒归宿，没有什么能从神手里把我们夺去。（参约 10:28-30）

James, along with his brother John, were called by Jesus to become his disciples. They had such fiery personalities that Jesus gave them the nickname "sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17; see Luke 9:54). Along with Peter, they became Jesus' three closest disciples (Mark 9:2; 14:33). And when the church began to grow after Jesus' death and resurrection, James became the first apostle to be killed for his faith in Christ.

"King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them." Herod had James killed, probably because James was known as a leader, and when Herod saw that the Jewish authorities approved of this, he arrested Peter also.

This led the church to pray earnestly for Peter. And the Lord surely had more work for Peter to do, because on the night before Peter's trial, God sent an angel to break Peter out of prison. Amazing!

Sometimes people have a question about this. Why did God allow James to be killed, but then God sent an angel to save Peter? Was God showing favoritism? No.

God has a plan for each of us in our lives, and he calls us to serve him until he is ready to take us to be with him. And while we continue to live in this world of suffering, God will provide what we need.

Our eternal destiny is safe with God, and nothing can take us out of his hands (John 10:28-30).