Acts 12:5

Peter therefore was kept in prison Another indication of the longer duration of the imprisonment, and that he was not arrested on the day of the Paschal sacrifice with the purpose of being brought forth on the morning of the 15th of Nisan, as some have maintained.

but prayer was made without ceasing[earnestly] of the church unto God for him The same Greek word is used in the description of our Lord's prayer (Luke 22:44), "Being in an agony he prayed more earnestly." The prayers of the Church were offered by assemblies of Christians meeting in various private houses (see Acts 12:12), for the persecution would now render public Christian services dangerous, as we know was often the case in the early days of Christianity.