In this passage of Acts Peter and John have healed a man, been arrested and taken before the Sanhedrin for trial. In my last post I talked about how Peter spoke with boldness and then prayed for more boldness. It is Peter's prayer that I want to talk about today.
"And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said,
“O Lord, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea,
and all that is in them, who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our
father David Your servant, said,
‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
And the peoples devise futile things?
‘The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His Christ.’
For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”
Acts 4:24-30
It is apparent in the first 4 chapters of Acts that the Apostles are devoted to prayer and seeking the Lord in all they say and do. You may be like me and want to be the same way in your life. There are times I think I have a good and strong prayer life and then I come across a passage like this and realize I want my prayer life to be so much more. In this passage we see this prayer right after Peter and John had been released. What captured my attention is how they started the prayer...“O Lord, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them..." Here we see them acknowledging who they were praying to. They realized how big, great, powerful, holy and mighty God is and that is who they cried out to. Is that who you pray to?
I would love to say yes to that question but many times when I am truly acknowledging who God is, is when I am in crisis for I am praying for someone in crisis. What would my life be like if I prayed like this every time I prayed. What would my life be like if we all truly acknowledged how amazing our God is in how we live our lives. You see these men did not cry out to be saved. They did not cry out asking for their persecution to be taken away, they cried out for boldness.
In church I had the privilege of hearing a letter written by a 16 year old boy to his friend who is struggling to survive after a brain aneurysm. Oh how I was blessed by the love, heart and faith in the words.
Dear A,
I’m not sure how soon you will read this, or whether or not it will be read to you, but I’m writing to assure you that you are most certainly not alone in this battle. There must have been at least 60 people all praying for you that day you were rushed to the hospital! And I've almost never heard such praying! You’d have been flattered, A. I've never heard such concern for one your age (and certainly never so many compliments! You would probably have blushed a vibrant shade of pink!)
I don’t pretend to give assurances, or advice of any sort. I've never been in your position, so there is literally NOTHING that I could tell you.
Well, there is one thing. Don’t despair for your health, don’t let your mother cry for you. God is using you for something, brave A! Maybe He wants to show His power through you, or maybe he wants to give you an amazing testimony! Or perhaps, He wants to welcome you into His glorious kingdom a little bit earlier than you might have wanted at first.
I apologize for the shoddy quality of this letter, but I truly wanted you to know that YOU…ARE…NOT…ALONE! You have the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, sitting right by your side. To be honest, you are in a position that I have desired for years!
You are completely, utterly, entirely at the mercy and love of Christ. You are utterly dependent on Him! Though you may see it as a curse now, I believe He is trying to show you his power!
Do you remember the lines from, “Build Your Kingdom Here”? The ones I’m thinking of say:
“Increase in us, we pray. Unveil why we’re made. Come set our hearts ablaze in full, like wildfire in our very soul.”
“Holy Spirit, come, invade us now!”
I believe you were made for great things, A! I believe that, on the day that you stand before our Father, he will look upon you and say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
And aren't those worth anything that we might suffer here?
My prayers will be with you and your family, A. My prayers, and my thoughts. Don’t forget the one who is watching over you! He has more power in the nail of His little finger than Satan can ever be allowed to have!
“I am God and there is no other. I am God and there is none like me.” Isaiah 46:9b
We love you A! Our prayers will carry your name for as long as you may need them!
Your friend,
As you pray and seek our Lord I pray that we will realize how big He is and how small we are knowing that He truly has our best in mind no matter the outcome. I want to close by asking a question: How would my prayers and life change if my goals and desires would all be for Jesus to be exalted no matter what?
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