Exploring Prayers in the BibleMuestra

Day 4: The Believer’s Prayer for Boldness

Acts 4:23-31 says

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 God, 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.

Reflection on the passage:
Amidst the action-packed story of the Holy Spirit’s working through the apostles in the book of Acts, we find this little gem of a prayer in today's passage. It is the only written-out prayer of the early believing community that we have recorded in Acts and is a wonderful model of prayer for us today.

Leading up to this prayer meeting, Peter, newly filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (in Acts 2), heals a crippled beggar in Jesus’ name and preaches to the crowds about Jesus and the power of His resurrection (Acts 3). Thousands respond in belief. The religious authorities then arrest Peter and John overnight and threaten them not to speak any more about Jesus (Acts 4:1-22). When Peter and John return to the community of believers and tell them what these Jewish rulers and elders did, the believers respond in a way we might not expect. Their response to the threat is a prayer for boldness! They praise the Sovereign God, pray Psalm 2:1-2 relating it to their situation, and then ask for boldness to do the very things Peter and John were threatened not to do.

Putting myself in this situation, my first thought would likely have been to pray for protection from the threat, not for boldness to face it head-on! But clearly, their prayer was in line with the will of God, for immediately their prayer was answered: “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” (from Acts 4:31).

Where might we be feeling threatened or challenged in our lives right now? What obstacles are we facing in carrying out the work Christ has called us to personally, in our families, work, or communities? These threats cannot thwart the purposes of God, who is the Lord of Lords. In fact, as with Christ’s crucifixion, God can take even the worst evils done and turn them around for His good purposes (see Acts 4:27-28). So may we, like these early Christians, face threats and obstacles with trust in our powerful and loving God and with prayers for a holy boldness to move with Christ in what He is calling us to do.

Prayer Practice: Communal Prayer in Response to Threat
This prayer in Acts 4 provides a very helpful four-part framework that we can model our prayers after when faced with threats and obstacles. You may want to use the following steps to pray first on your own and also in your faith communities.

1. Praise God for His sovereignty as Creator and Lord of Lords.
“Sovereign Lord…you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them” (verse 24)

2. Pray a Scripture. These early believers used Psalm 2:1-2 about rulers coming against God’s anointed (verses 25-26). Choose a passage that you think may especially relate to your threatening situation or challenge and make it part of your prayer.

3. Connect the Scriptures to your situation. They related Psalm 2:1-2 both to the authorities handing Jesus over to be crucified and to their current situation of the rulers threatening Peter and John (verses 27-28). Pray in a way that connects your chosen Bible verse to what you are facing.

4. Pray for boldness and the Holy Spirit to empower you to follow Christ’s call.
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus” (verses 29-30). Ask God to give you what you need to face the threats and carry out His will.