30 Days - Day 8

Day 8

Acts 4:24-28

24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
" 'Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
26The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One. 27Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

A lot has happened since the last verse. The triumph of what we saw in chapter 3 has turned to trial in chapter 4. We are going to spend the next couple of days on these and the verses that follow. This amazing response has so much in it to remind, encourage, embolden and empower us and it is the result of prayer.

Peter and John have, for their miraculous act of kindness to a man born lame, been dragged before the rulers and elders of Israel and asked to explain what they have done. In our minds we almost sarcastically think, how dare Peter and John do such a thing! How dare they give (through the power of Jesus) health and hope to a man who has suffered disability and lack for the last 40 years. What have you done Peter!

Yet this is exactly the situation. Peter and John are arrested, spend the night in jail, are taken to trial and then warned and threatened against such teaching though it is clear to all (included the leaders and elders) that no wrong, but in fact a notable miracle, has been done.

Having experienced all of this they return to the believers and tell them all that has happened. Here again is a point of decision. Do they cave-in to the pressure of threats and hardship? What is the best course of action? Do we go underground for a while? What will our response to this opposition be?

Of course, they find their answer in prayer. As they pray they have in their prayer 3 confirmations concerning what they should do..how they should react! First. They remember who God is! They look at the world around them, all of creation and realize even as they speak that God is creator of it all! What a huge encouragement knowing that the God that holds the universe together is not just the God we pray to but the God that hears our prayers. Second. They remember and reflect on what scripture says in Psalm 2. This Psalm that points to the Messiah, but also warns of opposition. Take a look at that Psalm for yourself and you will see just why remembering that scripture was such an encouragement. Third. They remember their own experience. They had seen the mighty things that Christ did and how He was killed on the cross, but even more they realized something others could not... this was not a random act but something that, through God’s sovereign will, had been planned from the foundation of the world and happened just the way it had been scripted by God.

In other words, in this first part of their prayer they remember and are encouraged by God’s sovereignty and power. They have no delusion that all that happens will be warm, fuzzy and feel good, but they also realize that God is in control. It is not just a prayer for something but a prayer of praise, a prayer of remembrance and a prayer that leans on who God is more than the circumstances in which we might find ourselves. When we take time in prayer to praise and reflect on who God is, not only we will be encouraged and find answers to and encouragement for things we might be struggling with in life. We will also find ourselves emboldened, empowered and shaken by His greatness.

Prayer Requests Day 8

1) Student Bible Study - We are praying for a student Bible study to begin this Fall as students return to University. Pray that God would bring all the pieces together 1. Darja - helping us make contacts with students; also pray for her studies at the University 2. Meeting Students open to studying the Bible 3. Student outreach - getting into student dorms for Bible study 4. Finding a regular night mid-week to meet that will be suitable for the most people to attend regularly.
2) Bible Study for Young Families - That we would also see a Bible study start among young families. 1. For at least one person to begin the study with 2. For others then to join to that study 3. For friends, acquaintances and others to be open to attending 4. For wisdom as (hopefully) many of these will have small children
3) Post-Abortion Bible Study - Phil and Yvonne for open opportunities to do this study again with people suffering the after effects of their choice to abort. We would like to see one of these studies in Maribor
4) Phil & Yvonne - hope to see a Fall Bible Study in Mokronog. There are people that have shown interest but during the summer there have been obstacles to beginning the study. They have already completed a post-abortion study in this town and this study is the outgrowth of that.
5) Possible Fall English Camp - still many questions and details to work out but we hope to see a 2 day Youth English camp in early November