Posted On: Friday, May 16th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, 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.”
| Encouragement for Today |
| This prayer models a way to pray. First, the believers remind themselves of who God is and what he’s done. They bring Scripture into it. This helps them see what’s happening from God’s perspective. They accurately assess the problem; they put it into the context of God’s big plan; they don’t ask that their enemies cease and desist or quit bothering them. No, they pray instead for boldness and for God to show his power so that more people will come into the kingdom. This is prayer with power! |
Categories: reflections