Fearless Prayers

Fearless Prayers

Now, 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

PETER AND JOHN HAD JUST BEEN QUESTIONED, mistreated, and threatened by religious authorities to stop what they were doing. Their message was provocative, and people in charge rarely favor a disruption in the status quo. When Peter and John were released, they returned to a gathering of fellow believers and prayed—not for safety and protection or for God’s vengeance on their adversaries but for more of the inflammatory effectiveness that got them in trouble in the first place. They asked for more power and greater boldness.

Why were Peter, John, and their friends willing to rock the boat even more? Because they recognized that God was doing something remarkable, advancing into hearts and minds by making a scene and turning social expectations and structures on their head to change lives. They discerned the difference between a time to play it safe and an opportunity to advance while hearts were open. They recognized the distinction between a threatening door and a closed one, and they wanted to enter into greater fruitfulness. They had faith that God couldn’t be stopped.

Holy Spirit boldness does that to our prayers. When we get a picture of what God is doing in the world, we want to keep moving forward and maximize our participation in his plans. We don’t want to sit on the sidelines and see how it plays out; we want to pray, believe, speak, and work in accordance with God’s power and presence. We sense his movement and want to be part of it.

You will recognize a multitude of ways to be a part of what God is doing, and your involvement will depend on your particular gifts and interests. But the call to pray for a powerful advance of the gospel is universal. Pray for fearlessness in prayer—for the Holy Spirit to fill you with boldness to pray for earthshaking movements, explanation-defying demonstrations of power, and Jesus-glorifying works. Ask him for faith, then pray your faith assertively. The times are always ripe for his power.

Prayer obtains fresh and continued outpourings of the Spirit.