We didn't always live in the country. In fact, we didn't move there until I was in elementary school. My summer memories of living in the thriving metropolis of Bald Knob, Arkansas are a bit faint, but I do remember them being filled with playing in the yard, occasionally playing in sprinklers when the grass was being watered, and hearing some great music.
While we were predominantly raised on Country music, Mom wound up being a closet Rock-n-Roller. It wasn't uncommon for us to hear the popular sounds of the 70s, especially on Saturdays when American Bandstand would be playing until it was time for Dad to come home for lunch. Don't get me wrong, Dad loved all kinds of music, but his choice to listen to and play at home was Country. Mom loved and respected his choice enough that she'd play some Rock-n-Roll when he wasn't there, all the while lookin' out our back door for him to come home...
"Lookin' Out My Back Door", July 25, 1970, single from Cosmo's Factory by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Cosmo's Factory was one of those rare records. It was released on July 8, 1970, and is rare in the fact that it had 6 of its 11 tracks issued as singles. Making it more unique is that all 6 of those singles went into the top 5 on the charts. (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Travelin' Band" (Creedence Clearwater Revival), "Who'll Stop the Rain", "Lookin' Out My Back Door", and "Long As I Can See The Light" peaked at #2, "Up Around the Bend" and "Run Through The Jungle" came in at #4) The album spent 9 weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and was listed 4x Platinum by the RIAA in 1990.
Cosmo's Factory was the fifth studio album by the Creedence Clearwater Revival, who by this time had been having internal struggles and was beginning to come apart at the seams. John Fogerty's dominance over the direction of the band was not setting well with the rest of the band members including his brother Tom, who left the band in 1971 after the recording of the album Pendulum. Despite the friction, the Cosmos's Factory record produced the aforementioned successful singles, including today's featured song,
"Lookin' Out My Back Door" was the fifth single from the record and became the band's final top 5 hit on the charts. It is a song that is filled with magnificent imagery that many associate with a drug trip, however, John Fogerty has stated that the song was inspired by his then 3-year-old son. According to the "Lookin' Out My Back Door" - wikipedia.org article, the parade mentioned in the song is also supposedly inspired by the Dr. Suess book, And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street. The song also has Americana references like the state of Illinois being mentioned at the beginning and end of the song, and listening to Country Music artist Buck Owens.
Aside from being used as one of my Mom's classic "wake up" songs, "Lookin' Out My Back Door" was also featured in the 1998 Coen Brothers film, The Big Lebowski.
But the song's overriding tone is one of making sure that you keep an eye out for any trouble that might possibly follow you home. Not exactly sure what trouble John was waiting for, other than perhaps the legal entanglements with his bandmates that were fast approaching, but instead of trouble, sometimes what we anticipate could be something really special that shows up while you're lookin' out that back door.
To me, this is one of those comic relief passages in the Bible that you need just at the right time. Without a doubt, there is much seriousness that is taking place in the life of the early church as persecution is beginning to really take its hold in Jerusalem. Herod is a title given to a line of rulers in the Judean area around the time of Jesus and the beginning of the church. This Herod, is Agrippa 1, the grandson of Herod the Great (who had all the males in Bethlehem killed), and the nephew of Herod Antipas, who questioned Jesus. ("Acts 12 – Herod Agrippa I" - by Philip J. Long, February 20, 2019 - readingacts.com, "Who was Herod? (Acts 12:1)" - ebible.com) The oppression of the believers of this time is enacted as a result of the animous towards the Christians among the Jewish population that was an effect of the new movement. Due to the Jewish dissatisfaction, Agrippa 1 has James, the brother of John and one of the inner circle of Jesus, executed. James would have been the first of the original twelve apostles to see such a fate. All of the remaining apostles, except John, would also succumb to martyrdom in a variety of ways, "How did the Twelve Apostles die? – Where did the Apostles die?" - neverthirsty.org The Jews in the area reacted very favorably to James' execution. Agrippa 1 noticed this and began the process to see that Peter was also provided with a similar fate. Agrippa 1 was a pseudo-religious Jew and while he had Peter arrested during the feast of unleavened bread, the Bible says that Agrippa 1 delayed Peter's impending demise as a result of Passover celebrations that were taking place.
Peter was placed in prison under the guard of 4 squads of soldiers, 16 total. In verse 5 we see intervention was being made on his behalf. The church in Jerusalem was praying for Peter. Our passages use the descriptors of "intensely", "persistent", "earnest", and "without ceasing" to indicate the ferocity by which the church was praying for Peter. Curiously, the Bible doesn't indicate that they were praying "expectantly". The Bible doesn't say exactly what the church was asking God to do on Peter's behalf, but God answered in a way that seemed to surprise them.
On the evening that Agrippa 1 is about to bring Peter out of the prison to meet what would be sure to be Peter's demise, the prayers of the church were answered. An angel shows up in Peter's prison room casting a bright light. Peter must have been pretty tired as the angel's light didn't faze him. The Bible says the angel had to strike Peter to get him awake. Seems the praying church wasn't the only one that wasn't being expectant. Peter gets dressed at the command of the angel and they make their way past the guards, through a closed gate that opens without being touched, and out of the prison into freedom. Peter thought all of this was a dream, but when he found himself down a street on the outside of the prison, reality set in...quickly. Peter set out for a house in town that belonged to Mary, the mother of John Mark. The folks of the church had gathered there to combine their hearts and voices in prayer for Peter.
Here is where I think the comic relief begins. Try to visualize the scene. Peter knocks on the door of the gate. A servant named Rhoda came lookin' out the back door. She heard Peter's voice and immediately went back to tell the others...without letting Peter in the house! Here Peter was, wanted by the ruler of the region, a prison escapee, and he's left standing at the door of the church that had been lifting him up to God in prayer! When Rhoda told the prayer meeting, they thought she had seen tambourines and elephants playin' in the band. They thought she had lost her mind. They didn't know of Peter's welfare at the time, assuming he had also been executed and thought it possibly might be his ghost. "Look at all the happy creatures dancin' on the lawn"... The Bible says Peter kept on knocking. I think if I were him I would have been pounding on the door to make sure I wouldn't be seen by those who were obviously looking for him by this point.
They open the doors to Peter and the Bible says, "they were amazed". It's easy to question their amazement at this point. Wasn't this the very thing in which they had been praying? God had answered "YES!!!" to their prayers and they were astonished. Peter didn't want to draw attention so he motioned for them to chill out and told them how the Lord had delivered him. Peter instructs them to tell James (the brother of Jesus who had become a disciple and was becoming a leader in the church, not the apostle James who had been killed by Agrippa 1) and the brothers all of the miraculous things that had occurred that evening and went on his way.
When daylight came, there was major trouble to be had. Agrippa 1 sent for Peter who wasn't there. After interrogating those who were guarding Peter, Agrippa 1 is not satisfied that the prisoner had escaped and has all 16 of the guards executed. He just had 16 people killed and the Bible says that he left Jerusalem to go hang out on the coast. Just like that. It seems the guards of the day in Jerusalem were as expendable as the red-shirted folks on Star Trek's original series.
So what do we need to learn from this last account of Peter in Luke's Acts of the Apostles? There are 3 takeaways that I'd like to visit as we sit down and take a rest on the porch.
First, when we are bold about our belief in Jesus we will be met with pushback. In The Gospel of Jesus according to Matthew, a tax collector chapter 10, verse 22 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV, Jesus tells us we will be hated by all because of our belief in Him, but in the same passage, He promises deliverance to those who endure.
Secondly, you never know who may be praying for you. You never know what the outcome of those prayers may be. Be obedient even in times when it seems the circumstances are incredulous. 2 Timothy 4:1-2 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV, The Gospel of Jesus according to John, a fisherman, chapter 15m verse 14 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV
Finally, we need to pray about EVERYTHING. Even if those prayers seem like you've taken a ride on a silver spoon to the outside world. Those prayers should be "intensely", "persistent", "earnest", and "without ceasing" and I would add, "specific" and "expectant". Sometimes we don't necessarily get the answers we desire, but we must be faithful to pray. Philippians 4:6-7 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV tells us that in those times when we don't get the answer we expect, God's peace will be sufficient to ease any disappointment.
Oh yeah, when you look out and you see or hear the answer to your prayer, don't be surprised or think it's a giant doing cartwheels or a statue wearin' high heals, it's the answer to your prayer...don't leave it standing there, welcome it in and enjoy God's blessings by singin'...doo, doo, doo lookin' out my back door.
'Til Tuesday,
Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
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