Day 15: 31 Days of Prayer

Day 15: 31 Days of Prayer

Verse:

After they were released, Peter and John went to their friends and reported everything the chief priests and elders had said to them. When their friends heard this, they lifted up their voices together to God and said: "Sovereign Lord, You are the One who made heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them. And by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of Your servant David, our father, You said: Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One. For truly in this city Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, gathered against Jesus, Your holy Servant, whom You anointed, to do whatever Your power and will had determined beforehand should happen. And now, Lord, look at their threats and grant to Your servants boldness to proclaim Your word. (Acts 4:23-29 - TB)"

Reflection:

A little background on this passage. Peter and John were walking together when they came upon a man asking for alms. Peter healed the man, and soon a large crowd gathered around Peter and John. Peter used this opportunity to begin preaching the gospel of Christ. The chief priests, the captain of the guard, and the Sadducees then arrested Peter and John and threw them into prison. With many threats, they forbade Peter and John to stop speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus. For the full story, read chapters three and four of the book of Acts. We turn to the verses above. After being released, Peter and John returned to the disciples and told them everything that had happened. Notice their response: it says that they lifted up their voices in prayer to the Lord. There are four things they did in this prayer. They praised God for His creation, they recognized that people opposed Jesus; they acknowledged that this was God's plan, and they asked to be enabled to proclaim the Word of God with great boldness. This goes against what they had just been commanded to do. Peter and John were told to stop teaching and preaching in the name of Jesus, and now the people are praying to be bold enough to speak! Often in my life, I let opposition stop me from proclaiming and teaching the Word of God. It keeps me from speaking about Jesus. This passage helps me overcome that barrier through prayer. The people prayed that they would receive strength, not from themselves, but from God. They prayed that God would fill them with boldness. When you face opposition in your faith, where does your boldness come from? Is it from you, or is it from God? This passage ends in verse 31 with the house where they were shaken and the people were filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaimed the word of God with boldness. Their prayer was answered there.

Challenge:

Today, whenever you face opposition, remember where you get your boldness. Praise God for creating heaven and earth, understand that Jesus was opposed and that it was part of God's plan, and pray that God will enable you to proclaim the word of God with boldness, regardless of the opposition you face.

Translated from the article “31 Days of Prayer: Day 15” by Jonathan Drabot