Dave spoke from this passage, drawing a powerful picture of the power of God in the presence of Christ, released through the ordinary people who act in obedience. This is described through the action and words of Peter and John, and it struck me afresh how it shaped the prayers of the community of the church.
Dave noted how the prayers of the church in Acts 4:23-31 focussed primarily on the sovereignty of God. The primary content of the prayer was not concern for their current crisis and needs, but praise of who God is. In this their prayers honoured God, but also served to strengthen their faith, by directing them to the sovereignty of God over any crisis or difficulty.
This brings to my mind the prayers of Daniel, in exile and confronted by a royal decree not to pray. On hearing of the decree, Daniel ‘went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.’ (Daniel 6:10) It is noteworthy that Daniel does not pray against the decree, or ask for protection from it. He gives thanks to God. As a result he was thrown to the lions, which may not seem like a great outcome (and probably didn’t to Daniel as he was dragged to the den), except that God shut the lions mouths, rescued Daniel, and used the crisis to bring glory to himself.
In Acts 4, Dave notes that ‘in response to their prayer God poured out his Spirit and gave the Jerusalem church both boldness and love.’ Again, the crisis was not removed, but God empowered his people in the midst of the crisis, and through them brought glory to himself.
As a church community, we need to pray. Individually and corporately, we need to commit ourselves firstly to prayer. Perhaps also, the content of our prayers needs to be considered. Our prayers need not be a list of the difficulties we want God to fix, but should rightly focus on who he is and giving him the praise and thanks he deserves. As we turn our focus to Him, perhaps it will serve to strengthen our faith and, perhaps, by his Spirit, God will strengthen us and empower us to be lights in the midst of our own difficulties.
Dave noted how the prayers of the church in Acts 4:23-31 focussed primarily on the sovereignty of God. The primary content of the prayer was not concern for their current crisis and needs, but praise of who God is. In this their prayers honoured God, but also served to strengthen their faith, by directing them to the sovereignty of God over any crisis or difficulty.
This brings to my mind the prayers of Daniel, in exile and confronted by a royal decree not to pray. On hearing of the decree, Daniel ‘went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.’ (Daniel 6:10) It is noteworthy that Daniel does not pray against the decree, or ask for protection from it. He gives thanks to God. As a result he was thrown to the lions, which may not seem like a great outcome (and probably didn’t to Daniel as he was dragged to the den), except that God shut the lions mouths, rescued Daniel, and used the crisis to bring glory to himself.
In Acts 4, Dave notes that ‘in response to their prayer God poured out his Spirit and gave the Jerusalem church both boldness and love.’ Again, the crisis was not removed, but God empowered his people in the midst of the crisis, and through them brought glory to himself.
As a church community, we need to pray. Individually and corporately, we need to commit ourselves firstly to prayer. Perhaps also, the content of our prayers needs to be considered. Our prayers need not be a list of the difficulties we want God to fix, but should rightly focus on who he is and giving him the praise and thanks he deserves. As we turn our focus to Him, perhaps it will serve to strengthen our faith and, perhaps, by his Spirit, God will strengthen us and empower us to be lights in the midst of our own difficulties.
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