EARTHSHAKING PRAYER

Acts 4:23-31

              4:24 WHEN THEY HEARD THIS, THEY RAISED THEIR VOICES                                                     TOGETHER IN PRAYER TO GOD.

Peter and John had just been detained, and then released, by the Sanhedrin on account of their bold proclamation of the gospel. After their release, the believers immediately entered into prayer. Their prayer time ended with a kind of earthquake. How did that happen? It began with the church praying a classically Biblical prayer, which is to say they proceeded the way so many of the psalms and other great prayers of Scripture do. It is a prayer worthy of imitation.

1. They rehearsed before God a summary of what he had done and said in history. He had always been the Sovereign Lord, creator of heaven and earth, King of kings and ruler of the nations. Read – or better, pray – this prayer thoughtfully, and you will get a crash course in a sound Biblical theology of creation, revelation and history, all summed up in the verbs used of God. He made, he spoke, he decided beforehand what would happen.
2. In the light of the past, they recounted what was going on in the present. God already knew everything that happened, of course, but it is a key part of the communion of prayer for God’s people to lay it all out before God anyway. According to Jesus, God’s comprehensive knowledge of all things gives us greater reason to speak our needs, not less (see Matthew 6:8).
3. Then they made their requests. The order of the prayer is important. First the rehearsal of God’s past goodness, then the request; for the request come a lot easier when we are reminded of who we are speaking to! We are speaking to the Almighty, and nothing is too hard for him.  From God, they asked that he do, what only God can do: heal and perform miracles.  For themselves, they asked that God help them do what they were supposed to do: be bold in their speaking. It’s a great arrangement. May God be who he is, powerful and wise; may his people be who they are supposed to be, bold and faithful witnesses.

This kind of prayer moves the earth, not usually as in the shaking these believers experienced, but in more important ways. Kingdoms rise and fall, and history unfolds as the prayers of the saints are presented before the throne of God (see Revelation 8: 1-5)

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/Chairman/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org