Bold Prayers

“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”   —Acts 4:29-30

Being an optimist by nature, it’s hard for me to admit, but I really think life is getting harder. It seems everywhere I turn, I find persons dealing with insurmountable challenges. Last week, I spoke with someone struggling to get along with coworkers. At the same time, several persons close to me had relapses in health issues. Some folks are dealing with broken relationships that refuse mending. An addict uses after months of victory.

The news shows are no help. If you watch regularly, you will either be appalled by the content, irritated by the triviality, or fearful at the doom and gloom. Life is full of challenges, big challenges. I have seen two very interesting shirt logos about praying hard. One reads, “Life is short; pray hard.” The other reads, “Life is hard; pray harder.” Whether you are struck by the urgency or the immensity of the challenges, life today requires bold faith.

The early church, the church described by the Book of Acts following the ascension of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, lived lives of bold faith and prayed bold prayers. They prayed for God to give them boldness in the face of huge challenges. They were bold enough in their faith to believe God to do the impossible.

In Acts 4, Peter and John had just witnessed a miracle. A forty year old man lame from birth was healed in the name of Jesus. What an outstanding great moment, but no. Peter and John were arrested for teaching in the name of Jesus and proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It appears the religious leaders of the day were upset for two reasons. The Christians were teaching and healing in Jesus’ name, and they were claiming Jesus had risen from the dead. All other religions can take you to a tomb or a body and say, “Here is our founder.” It is not so with Christianity. We point to an empty tomb because we believe Jesus Christ is alive.

Some believe our culture is becoming more like the culture of the early church. Christianity is no longer the assumed mindset of everyone around us. If we are to be witnesses to the risen Lord, we will be required to take our faith seriously. We must live a bold faith. If we believe Jesus is risen from the dead, we must act like it. If we believe God is a wonder-working, dead-raising, and sinner-saving God, we must pray bold prayers.

When Peter and John returned from their arrest and from being threatened against teaching in the name of Jesus, the believers, “Lifted their voices to God with one accord,” and prayed for God to give them boldness to speak God’s word with confidence. They further prayed that God would stretch out His hand to perform miraculous signs and wonders in Jesus’ name (Acts 4:24, 30). After they prayed, the place where were gathered was shaken and they were all filled anew with the Holy Spirit.

In the challenges you and I face today, may we ask God to give us strength to live boldly and confidently for Him. Let us believe God to work the miracles needed. If we do what God calls us to do, be witnesses and live holy lives, then God will do what only God can do, “Perform miraculous signs and wonders.” May we see families restored, lives reclaimed, addicts delivered, and the lost found. Join me in living a life of bold faith and praying bold prayers.