Acts 4:23-31 The Believers Pray for Boldness

What will Peter and John do after being threatened and released? Will they pout? Will they plot? Will they play? None of the above! They reported what happened to their friends - better translation is to their own, referring to other believers and they PRAYED. Complaining about the situation was not going to make it better. Trying to exact revenge was not going to make it better. Ignoring the situation and going back to business as usual was not going to help either.

What did they pray about? They could have complained to God in their prayer, but they didn't. They could have asked God to rain fire and brimstone upon the priests and Pharisees, but they didn't. They could have prayed for a hiding place, but they did not. Instead, their prayer acknowledged God as the Sovereign Creator of all things as an opening. Then they acknowledged that God had spoken through David, referring to Psalm 2, explaining that the Gentiles, peoples, rulers, and kings would come against the Christ. After quoting the Scripture, they acknowledged its fulfillment in their day through the Gentiles, Israel, Pontius Pilate, and Herod. Again, this prayer shows that predestination and human responsibility are completely compatible with one another.

What did they pray about? They asked God to look upon their threats. It is an expression to bring something to his attention. Given the threats, they asked: "grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with boldness." Awesome! In the midst of opposition, they viewed their circumstances in light of the Scriptures and asked for what they needed most. Considering that the mission was already clearly stated by Jesus before his ascension: Make disciples wherever you go or be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, there is no question that the greatest need is boldness to speak the word given the threats.

The focus of my prayer in similar circumstances would've been on protection. For God to protect me from the threats, but I don't think I would've asked for boldness to do exactly what the leaders prohibited me to do. This is evidence that my prayer life is too self-centered. I need to be more Christ-centered, more Kingdom-centered. I have to realize that I am called to be a witness upon this earth and nothing should deter me from being one. A true disciple follows Jesus no matter the circumstances. A true disciple makes kingdom business the priority of his life.

Their prayer also acknowledged that God would continue to work among them with healings, signs and wonders through the name of Jesus. Evidence that God listened to this prayer was that immediately, the place was shaken, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and in the long term, they continued to speak the word with boldness. The results are in the hands of God!

Father, fill me with your Spirit and grant me boldness to speak your word in season and out of season. May I be a Christ-centered disciple. May my business be your kingdom above all other things. Amen.