Hearing His Voice #125

O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.

Acts 4:29-30

A young Christian woman from the Middle East described how persecution was increasing in her region and Christians were becoming uncertain about their future. Many wondered whether they could remain in the country and feared that their churches would be closed or severely restricted. Yet the young woman describing these changes also emphasized the other side of the story. Christians were also experiencing more encounters with God—increased dreams and visions, clearer words of direction, and new strategies for sharing Christ in a hostile culture. And though many were focused on the uncertainty of the future, this woman and many others were focused on a nascent move of God. The Holy Spirit was not going into hiding. His work was increasingly visible.

These conflicting trends—greater persecution along with a greater move of God—have happened often in church history. In the spiritual realm, persecution (a direct attack) and counterfeits (indirect attacks) almost always occur together with the Spirit’s work. Sometimes they follow the Spirit’s work in an attempt to undo it, and sometimes they may seem to strike first—perhaps preemptively with the awareness that God is about to move. From our human perspective, we may not be able to sense the order or the reasons. Nevertheless, when persecution and deception are abundant, so are the works of the Holy Spirit.

God seems to speak most clearly and give His servants greater boldness in times of distress. Increased access to His Spirit’s blessings seems to accompany increased oppression and harassment. Perhaps that’s because the intensity of our prayers increases with the intensity of our circumstances, or perhaps it’s simply because God gives us everything we need to follow Him well, and we need more when we’re under duress. Regardless, He sees our hardships and meets us in the middle of them. He comforts and calms us with the sound of His voice.

Lord, I long for the boldness and power of the early Christians. If I face radical opposition, bless me with radical fruitfulness.