Just an Ordinary Day?
Opening Prayer
Lord, open my heart to Your Word today.
Read ACTS 4:23–31
23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“‘Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord
and against his anointed one.’
27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
When the disciples were released they went back to the other believers. Who do you go to when things get tough?Many days work out differently than the way we expect them to. It was only yesterday that Peter and John had made a perfectly routine visit to the Temple (3:1). But look what had followed: healing, preaching, a huge influx into the young church (4:4), prison and an order from the top to keep quiet (18). They must have been pretty exhausted.
Their response was straightforward: they went back to base and prayed. But what a prayer! They were united (24), focused on God (24), used Scripture (25,26), remembered their previous experience (27), recognized God’s sovereignty (28) and concentrated on mission, not their own needs (29,30). And the result? A mini-Pentecost (31)! The religious leaders needed to realize that this problem was not going to go away!
This is a great example of a whole church at prayer: “they” (24) are not just Peter and John. It’s also a reminder that prayer is about much more than asking (24–28). How could this example of prayer help your church?
Apply
Share this prayer with others and use it today as a pattern for prayer for your own church or group.
Closing prayer
Lord, “enable Your servants to speak Your Word with great boldness” (29).
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