Apr 26 - The Believers' Prayer

Read Acts 4:23-30

Context: Peter and John have just healed a 40 year old man who had been crippled from birth. They spoke powerfully to the onlookers about Christ. The priests and the Sadducees were disturbed and they threw Peter and John in jail for the night. The next day the officials released them, but they were told never to speak in Jesus' name again. Peter and John refused to follow those orders.

Text:
23On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and 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 heaven 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 take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.[a]'[b]
27Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people[c] 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 miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." (NIV)

Footnotes:
Acts 4:26 That is, Christ or Messiah
Acts 4:26 Psalm 2:1,2
Acts 4:27 The Greek is plural.
taken from www.biblegateway.com

This is the first specific reference to a healing since Jesus has ascended to Heaven. And it's the first time that any of the disciples have been jailed for their beliefs/actions. They weren't exactly sure what the charges against them were (was it illegal to speak of Jesus?), and they didn't know if their fate would be the same as their beloved Saviors'. We don't hear anything about their time in jail...was it spent praying? singing?

After their release, the believer's prayed. I find it interesting that they didn't pray for the threats to be taken away, only for boldness with which to share the gospel message.

How can we change our prayers to focus on the outcome of sharing instead of requests that our difficulties cease?