Acts 4:31, “When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.”

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Sometimes there is an immediate result to prayer.

The results of the ‘adversity prayer’ noted in the last lesson was probably not what these followers of Jesus were expecting. Some describe this as a ‘Second Pentecost’ because of the similarities to the phenomena in Acts 2. What it probably represents is a ‘booster shot’ to assure the apostles that they are exactly on the right track in fulfilling their mandate in Acts 1:8 to be witnesses of Jesus resurrection to the the outermost parts of the earth.

The prayer that we examined in the last lesson demonstrates that these disciples were not as focused on their problems as much as focused on their mission. As noted in the last lesson, in many ways it was a model prayer.

One commentator noted that their prayer “begins by addressing God as Lord and King, expresses confidence in his will and actions, exhibits faith and hope in their current situation, and ends with bringing requests to God. The prayer exhibits a theological flow: God is Sovereign Lord, and as such he has always kept his word continuing to show himself faithful among his people, therefore they can trust him fully to provide for them.” (1)

Sometimes the Lord shakes us up to get us moving in the right direction. In this case, our Heavenly Father was affirming to them they were going in the right direction, and that they had the power of the Holy Spirit with them on the journey.

PRAYER STARTER…

Our great and powerful Lord God, we have been given a mighty mission that you did not promise would be easy. May we use these trials and troubles for an opportunity to place our full faith and hope on you. To the glory of your Name …

(Continue this prayer as the Holy Spirit directs you personally.)

(1) James M. Hamilton Jr. and Brian J. Vickers, John–Acts, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. IX, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019), 377.