Astonishing Prayer

Before diving in, we’d love to invite you to walk through our five-day devotional, Astonishing Prayer. This devotional explores how God empowers us to forgive the impossible through the power of the gospel. You can start the journey here.

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Take a moment to read Acts 4:23-31.

After reading these verses, we want to highlight a few things that make this prayer astonishing:

1. They began with who.

Acts 4:24 says that the beginning of the prayer started with "Sovereign Lord."

Sovereign Lord in Hebrew means Adonai Yahweh—speaking to the ruler of everything with all authority.

They don't begin with a problem; they start with His position. This isn't a panicked prayer but a postured prayer. They not only acknowledge His power but also identify that He is in control of all things.

Before they asked something of God, they reminded themselves of who they were talking to.

It's an astonishing prayer because they remembered they serve as an astonishing God.

He is the same God who blessed Sarah with a baby at 90 years old, the same God who saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the same God who made a lion sleep when Daniel entered his den, the same God who raised Lazarus from the dead, the same God who sent His Son who conquered death.

They acknowledged that they served a sovereign God, and we are strengthened when we remember His rule and reign.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

  where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

  the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2

When you know who holds the throne, you will not freak out in the fire, and when the realities of life roll in, we must remember who we serve.

When we know that God is our Father and we are His children, we can boldly ask Him for whatever we need, approaching the throne of grace with confidence.

2. They stood on Scripture.

In Acts 4:25-26, they're interpreting the situation they're in through the lens of Scripture.

When we aren't living in the Scripture, when life hits, and we don't know what to grab onto, we reach out for other things. But we need the Scriptures to be a firm foundation.

We need scripture-saturated prayers that aren't being quoted out of tradition but out of revelation.

God is our refuge and strength,

  an ever-present help in trouble.

Acts 46:1

Scripture doesn't just inform us; it anchors us. In moments of confusion or fear, God's Word gives us clarity and peace about our situation.

• We know God provides. (Ephesians 4:19)

• We know God gives us strength. (Isaiah 40:29)

• We know God is our peace. (John 14:27 and Isaiah 26:3)

• We know God will guide us. (Psalm 32:8 and Proverbs 3:5-6)

• We know God is our forgiveness, and His mercies are new. (1 John 1:9 and Psalm 103:12)

• We know God is our courage, and He is with us. (Joshua 1:9 and Psalm 27:1)

• We know God is faithful even when we're doubting. (Lamentations 3:22-23 and Hebrews 10:23)

• We know God is the healer. (Exodus 15:26, Psalm 103:3, Isaiah 53:5)

Let the Word of God be the thing that holds you up. Even though our problems may be big, His Word is bigger.

3. They trusted God's plan.

In Acts 4:27-28, they don't just recognize the resistance, but that God is sovereign. Everything that had happened thus far would be used for God's redemptive plans. The crucifixion wasn't a surprise or tragedy, but a plan He initiated for our salvation.

We may not know why we're going through something, but we know that we can trust the One who does.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Romans 8:28-29

"God is too wise to be mistaken. God is too good to be unkind. So when you don't understand, when you can't trace His hand, trust His heart." - Charles Spurgeon

4. They prayed for boldness, not escape.

In Acts 4:29-30, we see that Peter and John did not ask for their circumstances to change, but that they would be able to speak His Word with authority and for supernatural works. They were so committed to the cause and mission of Christ that they asked bold prayers in the face of a real threat.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Acts 1:8

Boldness is not a personality trait—it's a spiritual empowerment.

Maybe we need to stop asking for our situation or circumstances to change and instead ask for our spirit to change in the midst of difficult situations or circumstances.

They asked for three specific things:

1. His hand would be stretched out.

2. For signs and wonders. (Mark 16:20)

3. That this would all be done through Jesus.

This would all be so that God would get the glory.

The name of Jesus isn't a nice way to end the prayer, but a declaration of divine authority and identity. (Philippians 2:9)

Jesus is bigger than any diagnosis, marital issue, or hard circumstance. Everything and everyone bows at the name of Jesus—there is nothing greater.

These followers didn't ask for boldness for themselves, but so that people would know that Jesus reigns and saves.

After they prayed, Acts 4:31 says that the place was shaken and filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the Word of God. God gave them the courage to speak boldly—the very thing they were told not to do.

We don't pray to get what we want, live comfortable lives, and be unaffected by the throes of life. We pray so that we can live as witnesses for Jesus, unashamed of Him.

If you're feeling weak or afraid, pray. God meets us with His power. (Luke 11:13)