Praying from God’s perspective
Acts 4:23-31
23 As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—25 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,
‘Why were the nations so angry?
Why did they waste their time with futile plans?
26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle;
the rulers gathered together
against the Lord
and against his Messiah.’27 “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. 28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. 29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
This prayer is both surprising, and absolutely what I should expect.
Peter and John have just been through an intimidating experience. After healing a lame beggar, they’ve been hauled before the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish authority in the land … and they’ve been threatened. Now they pray, but it’s not about their experience. Their prayer comes entirely from God’s perspective.
It starts with who God is – sovereign, creator of everything, able to transform any situation – and what he says about their situation – “Why are the nations so angry” and fighting “against the Lord and his Messiah?” These threats are against God first.
Rather than asking for protection, they ask for
- Boldness in taking God’s side in this conflict, in preaching in the face of those threats … including to the powerful people who threatened them.
- And more of God’s healing power … including for people who hate them.
The result is that they are filled by the Spirit and do preach boldly in partnership with God.
In contrast, my prayers so often start with me, and what I’d like God to do to transform my situation. I’m challenged to turn my prayers around too: starting with God and his power to transform my world; to see it from his perspective; and to ask to take my place in what he’s doing.
O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, I give you my situation. What do you want to make of it? What part do you want me to take in what you’re doing? (But please take the lead and please do all the hard bits I can’t.) Please transform my challenges into opportunities for your grace to be revealed, especially to the people I find most challenging.
Written by David Cornell