James 4:3
Acts 4: 23-31
- The Apostles Peter and John have been going about the work and mission of God, making Jesus known.
- And for their efforts they get arrested.
Verse 23 By going back to where all the others were, this puts them all in danger.
Verse 24 After their release, as soon as they get back to the rest of the disciples, it says that they raised their voices to God in prayer.
- I love how their first response was prayer, not protest.
- There is also this sense in the original language that it was a rather loud unified prayer.
- There are two senses going on here in the Greek.
- One is unity, all in one accord.
- And the sense of heavy lifting. The one word is often used to refer to lifting a body.
- Then they acknowledge God as creator: In acknowledging God as creator, they are saying that he is greater than the forces that just held them captive.
Verse 25 In prayer they acknowledge that what is happening was a prophecy from God through David.
Verses 26-27 Verse 26 is a quote from Psalm 2:2
- They again acknowledge what has happened was a part of that prophecy.
- This all informs their prayer. Knowing scripture should inform our prayers.
Verse 28 Because they understand the sovereignty of God they can realize that everything that has happened has happened because God wanted it to happen. This is going to change the way we pray.
- This involved other people. They realize that the people who killed Jesus and who are persecuting them are doing what God had decided before hand should happen. That way they don’t make those people their enemy.
verse 29 It was preaching with great boldness that got them thrown in jail!!!
- And yet collectively they cry out in prayer for more boldness.
- They want more of what got them in trouble!!!!
Verse 30 Their prayer continues by asking that God would perform miracles.
- They are praying for opportunities to see miracles among the people who are persecuting them.
- They are praying for miracles among the people who just tried to kill them!!!
- They also weren’t praying for miracles for miracles sake or entertainment.
Notice: they never prayed for their comfort!!!
Modern church praying tends to lean toward praying for comfort.
Verse 31 The passage ends with God’s response.
- God basically gives His yes, by shaking the room. And…they were all filled again with the Holy Spirit.
- This verse ends by saying that they went back to speaking the word of God boldly.
- This prayer was effective because it was focused on the Kingdom of God and making Jesus known.