City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

²³ When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴ And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, ²⁵ who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
    and the peoples plot in vain?
²⁶ The kings of the earth set themselves,
    and the rulers were gathered together,
    against the Lord and against his Anointed’^[e]—

²⁷ for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. ²⁹ And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, ³⁰ while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” ³¹ And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

–Acts 4:29-31 ESV

⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, ⁷ for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

–2 Timothy 1:6-7 ESV

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s verses in the Book of Acts show us that opposition to the Gospel is normal. It comes with the territory of following Christ. If you are a recipient of the Gospel, you will face threats. That could look like a number of things: being arrested as Peter and John were (see Acts 4:1-3), being admonished by religious/social leaders, experiencing social disapproval, etc. 

When opposition does arise from sharing the Gospel, it’s all too natural to lose heart and feel the sting of rejection. Fear of one’s personal safety or well being might also come up. That is what makes the prayer in today’s verses from Acts particularly power-packed. The disciples acknowledged God’s sovereignty in the situation: “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth…” (Acts 4:24). 

That puts everything in the right perspective. Yes, the disciples experienced opposition and persecution upon preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but that didn’t stop them from seeing the Lord’s sovereignty over their lives, and in the life of Jesus for that matter. By calling out to God and reminding Him of His sovereign plan for Jesus, the disciples were empowered to pray for boldness to keep going. This is what helped them to move forward without regretting their allegiance to Jesus or caving in to the fear of natural consequences. 

Application

A vibrant, active relationship with the Lord that is built on trust and obedience is what boldness is made of. The disciples didn’t pray for the situation to change. They prayed to continue to speak God’s Word with all boldness. This gives us an indication of how to pray when opposition arises from following Christ: “Lord, help me continue to speak God’s Word with all boldness.”

Prayer

Sovereign Lord, I am grateful that everything that happens happens under Your watch. Please look upon the threats I’m facing and empower me with boldness to continue through it all. I’m grateful to have You in my life. Being with You makes me bold. In Jesus’ name, amen.