If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.
* * * * *
Each of us walk through difficult circumstances at times and for seasons of our lives. You may, in fact, be walking through one right now. As i write this, a member of my family is walking through a difficult and challenging time. It is an attack from the enemy. It is important to remember that God is not the author of the circumstance. He is not the author of deceit, or illness, or hardship. But He is the “Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.” We would do well to follow the example of those we see gathered in prayer in Acts 4. They were not praying according to their will, but according to His; they were not praying for escape, but praying for His Spirit to enable them, empower them and embolden them through it.
Peter and John had just returned from their time before the high council.(1) They had been threatened to “never again speak or teach in the Name of Jesus.”(2) How did they and the other believers respond? By confessing the awesomeness of God in prayer. The greatest concentration of spiritual power in that day and in Jerusalem was in that prayer gathering. Perhaps it was the greatest concentration of any time or any place. There was no doubt. There was no hesitance. There was no fear. There was no question. There was no division. The Spirit of God united them and they lifted their voices TOGETHER. The people were of one heart and one mind, and God was pleased to answer their requests.
Their prayer was founded on the Word of God as recorded by David in Psalm 2:1-2. In His Word, God speaks to us and tells us what He plans to do. In prayer, we speak to Him and make ourselves available to Him for His will to be accomplished through us. They were not telling God what to do; they were asking Him to accomplish His will in them and through them. They were not asking for their will to move heaven; they were asking for God’s will to be done on earth. They did not pray for their circumstances to be changed, or for their enemies to be put out of office. Rather, they asked God to empower them and embolden them to make the best use of their circumstances in order to accomplish what He had already determined. This was a demonstration of their faith that God has a plan, His plan is perfect, and His plan will prevail. They did not ask God for a way of escape from the path that was before them; they asked Him to enable them to walk in the path according to His purpose. Phillips Brooks, the minister who wrote the lyrics to “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, also wrote, “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men and women. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.” They did not pray for the persecution to cease; they prayed for courage and boldness to endure in the midst of persecution.
The early church acknowledged that the leaders of their day – “Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the other Gentiles in positions of authority, and the religious leaders of Israel were all united against Jesus.” Their evil actions had all led to the crucifixion of Jesus. Yet all of their evil intentions had been permitted by the Father in order to accomplish His perfect plan – the resurrection of His Son and His victory over death. Therefore, the church had no need to fear! Their “enemies” were already defeated foes. But wisely, they also knew that they could not allow their faith in God’s divine sovereignty to become an excuse for them not to take responsibility for the action He was calling them to take. Again, the words of St. Augustine are a wise reminder, “Pray as though everything depends upon God, and work as though everything depends upon you.”
The believers did not ask for protection; they asked for power. They did not ask for the destruction of their enemies; they asked for boldness and power to preach the Word and heal the sick. They did not ask that their own agenda or their own needs be furthered; rather, that the Name of the Father and the Son be exalted.
God’s answer was to shake the place where they were meeting, and again fill them with His Spirit. He filled them to overflowing – and the result of the filling was that “they preached the word of God with boldness.” And it didn’t stop there. It also further deepened their unity(3) and their desire to sacrifice and share with one another.(4)
Phillips Brooks also wrote, “nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God.” That early church prayed according to God’s will and He answered in mighty power. About thirty years later, James (the half-brother of Jesus, who did not become a follower until after Jesus arose from the dead) would write this reminder to the early church, “You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”(5) The same God who answered the prayers of those early believers is waiting to respond to those same prayers today… and every day… until He returns.
* * * * *
You can read about this powerful gathering of prayer in The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 4, verses 23 through 31.
Also, i have excerpted portions of this post from chapter 13 of my book, Until He Returns. For more information about the book, click here.
(1) Acts 4:23-31, quoting Psalm 2:1-2 (NLT)
As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them – You spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, Your servant, saying, ‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against His Messiah.’ In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, Your Holy Servant, whom You anointed. But everything they did was determined beforehand according to Your will. And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, Your servants, great boldness in preaching Your word. Stretch out Your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of Your Holy Servant Jesus.” After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
(2) Acts 4:18 (NLT)
(3) Acts 4:32
(4) Acts 4:34
(5) James 4:2-3 (NASB)
Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.
Photo by Pearl on Lightstock