“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:29-31)

This is a great verse to memorize. This is shortly after Peter and John are at the Jewish Council where they were threatened not to spread the gospel anymore. They chose the bold path and continued to preach Jesus everywhere they went. They didn’t deny their suffering or the risks ahead, but went to the other believers and shared everything, thus allowing the believers to be in prayer for them.

Prayer is such a huge ingredient in spiritual success. It connects us to God, puts us in a humble position to listen and seek the will of the Lord. When we pray for God’s will to be done, we are not asking for what we want, but for what He wants – it lets the Spirit work freely in our hearts when we have an attitude of submission to Him. And that’s what the believers did in praying for Peter and John.

When they did that, notice the response of the prayer. It wasn’t just effective for the apostles, but for everyone who participated and led to even more of an impact with more people speaking the name of Jesus with boldness. When we get out of our own way, let God’s will reign in our soul and stop trying to do what we think is best, incredible things will happen.

Be encouraged, friends! If you pray for boldness to share the gospel, it is very likely that you will receive it, as it is God’s will for us to make disciples (Matt 28:19). Therefore ask freely, but be prepared and know that you will then need to use that boldness and will be opposed. Know that there are consequences for following God (mostly good, though you will be subject to spiritual warfare). Pray the above verse for yourself and your church family – let’s see what happens!