Prayer & Perseveranceနမူနာ

As we progress through the believers’ prayer, we move from the disciples asking for perseverance to them praying for God to move in big ways and give them boldness to speak. We see a focus on God’s power, not on what the disciples can do. They just ask that they speak boldly of what they have seen. 

Often, I focus on doing things in my strength, or I pray that the Lord help me do this thing or that thing, forgetting that it’s in His power that anything happens. We are primarily His witnesses. Absolutely He works through us and uses us in various ways but let us not forget that it is out of His power that things are accomplished, not our own.

In this story, we know it’s not Peter and John who healed this man; it’s easy to recognize God’s power here. But in other situations, it can be less obvious that God worked in a mighty way. But let us never forget that He is the one working through us and accomplishing miracles. We are the ones asking for Him to work in mighty ways and then talking about what we saw Him do. 

What big and mighty things can you ask God for? In what situations are you tempted to rely on your own strength rather than the Lord’s? What situations has the Lord given you to be His witness? How else does this prayer encourage you to respond?