“And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that your servants may speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand for healing, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29-30)
How wonderful it is to see God at work through the lives of His servants, especially normal, everyday people. The Holy Spirit equips the saints to do miracles that are not going unnoticed by leaders and commoners. Even in the midst and aftermath of persecution, these followers of Christ are turning to God and not shying away from persecution.
We see that the disciples request was rooted strongly in God’s cause and glory, and not in their comfort and advancement. They were asking God for things that would lead to more confrontation, rather than less. In my life, I have always seen the dangers (or opportunities to grow) of asking God to mold me more into Christ’s image. If I asked God to develop in me the character of patience, then more often than not, I would have countless situations throughout the day where my patience would be tried and tested. If I prayed to really live out God’s command to love God and love people, then I would face lots of inconsiderate people and it would be so hard to obey God. Yet, these disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and saw God perform miracles, signs, and wonders. The disciples knew that this was God doing this, and not themselves. In your life today, maybe over the past year of the pandemic, have you seen God do miraculous work in your life, or the lives of believers?
When we see God at work in our lives, our faith is strengthened. We get bolder in our witness because we know that He who is in us is greater than the one in the world (1 Jn. 4:4). It is that confidence in Christ which drives us to do great things for Him because we know that it’s all God. And when we have this boldness in Christ, we cry out to Him, “Help us to speak your words with boldness” and we say, “Bring it On!” because we know God is in the business of bringing the Lost to find hope in Jesus Christ.