Believers Pray for Boldness

“And now Lord, look upon their threats and grant to Your servants to continue to speak Your word with all boldness, while You stretch out Your hand to heal, and when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” –Acts 4:29-31 (ESV.  Read Acts 4:23-31).

We learn much about how to pray from the early church.  We could say the believers were close to God in thought and prayer.  They had been charged by the Jewish authorities not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.  Peter’s bold declaration must have gone out as a clarion call of the apostles’ intentions and mission:  “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

Peter and John returned to the gathered Christian community and reported that the Sanhedrin had ordered them not to preach further in Jesus’ name.  A major prayer meeting was in order. They had to break through the barriers of opposition.  They knew already that their mission was to  proclaim the word.  They sought through prayer to gain the boldness and strength to do what they had been assigned by the Lord. We can learn much about prayer from this prayer given in Acts.  They approached God by calling His name in reverence, recognizing His sovereignty.  They quoted a portion of God’s Word that applied to their situation:  “”Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against His Anointed” (in Acts 4:25-26, quoting from Psalm 2:1-2).  They saw this as a Messianic prophecy and claimed God’s word spoken through their father David as forth seeing their present situation. A valuable lesson learned here about prayer is that praying the Scripture to God is commendable.  When we use Scripture to pray, as someone has said, we are speaking to God in God’s language.

Their prayer recounted the situation they were in and then made their petition:  “And now, Lord,  look upon their threats and grant to Your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed, through the name of Your holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29).  Here they were following the instructions Jesus had given them about prayer.  “Ask and it shall be given you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).  They were certainly praying according to the will of God and the teachings of the Lord.  With prayer and petitions offered in this manner, it is sure to be pleasing to God.  They did not plead for circumstances to change or for God to destroy their enemies.  Instead, they asked God to accomplish that which He had already planned.  The Rev. Phillips Brooks advised:  “Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men and women.  Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers.  Pray for power equal to your tasks.” And what was the result of this prayer for boldness?  The Holy Spirit came in mighty power and the apostles continued to speak the Word of God with boldness!  Their prayer for boldness was answered.  Dr. R. A. Torrey, a great Christian leader, gave us this sound advice about prayer:  “Pray for great things, expect great things, work for great things, but above all—pray!”  All that we do should begin in prayer, be motivated by prayer, be bathed in prayer, be accomplished through prayer.  This is God’s way.