When you go into your boss’s office to ask for a raise, you don’t walk in the door and say, “I need more money!” You start out by telling him what a great boss he is. Even more so with God we should begin our prayers with respect – remembering who God is and what he’s already done.
When Christian friends were praying for Peter and John after their release from prison, they began their prayer by acknowledging the greatness and power of God. Then they asked, “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
We can learn a lot from the way they prayed. Amazingly, they didn’t pray for the problem to go away. I think I would have been inclined to ask God to exempt them from further persecution. Instead, they prayed for boldness in talking about Jesus, even though that would actually defy the law and get them in more trouble. They weren’t praying for deliverance from their problem, but for boldness to represent Jesus well in the midst of the problem. They ended their prayer asking God to perform healing and other miracles. Their prayer wasn’t to defeat their enemies, but to do acts of compassion and kindness.
The lesson for us is to ask God for strength more than for a solution. More important than having God eliminate our problems is asking God to make us bold and strong through the problems we face.
Related Scripture: Acts 4:29-30
© 2007 Leith Anderson
Friday, August 3, 2007
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