Prayer For Boldness In The Midst Of Persecution

Acts 4:18 & 23-28

18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

...

23 And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and

elders had said unto them.

24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord,

thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:

25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?

26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,

28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

Now this prayer takes place after Peter and John were interrogated by the Sanhedrin Council regarding the healing of the impotent man, who sat at the gate of the temple. They preached the name of Jesus to all those who witnessed the miracle. Thus, the Council threatened them, forbidding them to preach anymore in the name of Jesus.

But look at the response. When they went back to the house and stood in the midst of their comrades, reporting all that had been said and done; they all lifted up their voices with one accord and began to quote the second Psalm (verses 24-26).

The quoting of this scripture was to remind themselves that all that happened to Jesus was beforehand written in the scriptures. This was encouragement indeed. This assured them that every word spoken from the mouth of God will come to pass. Thus, it behoved them to obey the charge to preach the gospel at the peril of their lives.

You too must be able to remain steadfast and immovable in the midst of such trials and temptation to turn away from the calling in your life. Remind yourself of the ordinary men of the script who were faced with persecutions and hardships intended to pluck them out of the faith. And after you have encouraged yourself with the Word of God, then do as they did; pray for God to grant you the ability to continue to serve the ministry in spite of threatening situations.

Acts 4:29-31

29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

Assure the Lord of your steadfastness by asking Him to do all that He promised to do through those who love and obey Him.

31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

If you are sincere in your prayer and actions, the Lord will continuously anoint you to do the work of the ministry. He is not a respecter of persons. He will do for us what He did for them.

Are you bold enough to proclaim the gospel at any given opportunity? If so, rejoice in prayer below. If not, ask God for boldness.