Acts 4:23-31
New International
Version (NIV)
23 On their release, Peter
and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests
and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this,
they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they
said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy
Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth
rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against his anointed
one.’
27 Indeed Herod and Pontius
Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to
conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power
and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider
their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to
heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant
Jesus.”
31 After they prayed, the
place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the
Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
This prayer was
a prayer that recognized God’s control over all situations. They found themselves in a predicament in
which they were sternly warned not to speak of Christ. They knew they could not obey the law when it
went against the will of the Father, yet, they were sure not looking forward to
the warnings of man being fulfilled.
What stood out to me in the passage is, they recognized that all of the
circumstances were for God’s glory, not their own. They recognized that even Christ was
subjected to the tyranny of evil men.
They knew that God had a plan and they wanted to be bold in their
proclamation of Him. They recognized
that it would be impossible to speak boldly by their own strength and called
upon God for boldness. They also recognized they could not heal but that the
Lord could do so. They did not ask for
anything for their good pleasure but rather, the name of the Lord would be
glorified. All too often I pray for
myself and not for the power of the Holy Spirit. Our prayer request are filled with concern
for health and provision but not so much for boldness to share with
others. I have to wonder what kind of
revival would ensue if our prayers were more like this prayer from the early
Church.
Seek Him and
know that He wants to display His boldness in you.
Seeking Him with
all my heart,
Sheila
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