God’s actions in Acts 12 in the delivering of Peter from prison and the killing of King Herod, illustrate that God is completely sovereign over rulers, just as Paul teaches in Rom. 13, and as is found in Daniel’s blessing to God in Dan. 2, where Daniel declares in v.20 after he is given the interpretation to King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream—Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. 21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings…
Nebuchadnezzar was an archenemy of God’s people, having just wiped out the southern kingdom, along with the temple and then taken the survivors into captivity. But God had set him up as king, just as God would eventually remove him as king for a time. But what about when leaders seem to be accomplishing their evil, God-defying desires? It’s in these situations that it’s tempting to doubt God’s purposes and power and/or commitment to advance the gospel, since it seems as though the plan of God is being thwarted by powerful men. And when we allow ourselves to adopt that mindset, faithfulness to Christ with our lives in this world becomes an afterthought, because if God has abandoned his own commitment to his purposes, then why should we remain committed to his purposes?
What this chapter in Acts makes very clear is that God is in complete control and sometimes manifests this control by incredible, supernatural means. God is certainly able to intervene whenever he sees fit and in whatever way he sees fit.