January 10, 2016
Scripture Reading: Acts 4:23-31
23On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“ ‘Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
26The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord
and against his anointed one. ’
27Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Questions for Reflection:
What do Peter and John do immediately upon getting released? What seems to be the theme of their prayer? What do they ask God to do for them? What happened as a result of their prayers?
John and Peter’s prayer carries a strong theme of sovereignty. What does that word mean? What does it mean when we say that God is sovereign? They illustrate God’s sovereignty in His creation, in His word and in the life of Jesus Christ. After watching Jesus pray on the night that he was arrested asking for God’s will to be done, John understood that the decision that Herod & Pilate made was what God had decided and allowed. How does an understanding of God’s sovereignty help us in our Christian lives?
John and Peter also pray and ask for God to give them greater boldness in their witness. What role did the Holy Spirit play in enabling their boldness? To further understand the role of prayer and the Holy Spirit in our witness, watch the video below.