In the last couple of weeks, many Christians have been stirred with a renewed desire to be bold. We see unrest in the world, opposition to truth, hostility toward faith, disregard for human life, and celebration of evil, and something in us says: we need to stand firm. That instinct is right. But the question is: How does the Bible call us to boldness in times of unrest, persecution, and difficulty?
The answer comes straight from the book of Acts.
How a Church Prays Reveals Its Focus
The very first recorded prayer of the early church is found in Acts 4. What’s striking isn’t just that they prayed, but what they prayed for.
Think about it for a moment: if it were you or me, fresh out of prison after being threatened for preaching Jesus, our first prayer would probably be “God, protect us. Keep us safe. Put a hedge of protection around us.”
But that’s not how they prayed.
Acts 4 tells us that after Peter and John were arrested, threatened, and released, the believers gathered together and prayed. But instead of asking God to shield them, they asked Him for something far greater.
“And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that your servants may speak your word with all boldness.” (Acts 4:29)
They didn’t pray for comfort. They didn’t pray for escape. They prayed for boldness.
Why That Matters
The uncomfortable truth is that most of our prayers are centered on ourselves. We pray for health, for our families, for our comfort—and none of that is wrong. But if all we ever pray is centered on us, then over time, we become self-centered Christians, and self-centered Christians produce self-centered churches.
That’s why many churches drift from being outward-focused to inward-focused. They stop being about God’s mission and start being about themselves. Eventually, they collapse in on their own preferences and conflicts.
But the early church shows us a better way.
What Bold Prayers Look Like
Notice how the church in Acts prayed:
- Their prayer was rooted in Scripture (Acts 4:25–26, quoting Psalm 2).
- Their prayer was anchored in God’s sovereignty (Acts 4:27–28).
- Their prayer was focused on mission (Acts 4:29–30).
They prayed:
- For courage to speak when it would be easier to be silent.
- For God to stretch out His hand and show His power in ways that would turn unbelievers’ eyes to Jesus.
- For boldness, not safety. For mission, not comfort.
How did God respond?
“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.” (Acts 4:31)
The result was not fear, not retreat—but greater boldness, greater generosity, and greater witness.
What About Us?
So here’s the challenge: when was the last time you prayed for boldness? When was the last time you asked God, not to make life easier, but to use your life in such a way that others couldn’t help but see His power?
What if we shifted our prayers away from just asking God to protect our lives and started asking Him to use our lives—even if that meant hardship?
Moses once prayed, “If your presence does not go with us, don’t make us go up from here” (Exodus 33:15). That’s the kind of dependence we need again today—not dependence on our abilities or excuses about our inabilities, but dependence on the power of God through prayer.
A Call to the Church
Church, we need to rediscover boldness.
- Boldness to speak the name of Jesus in a culture that resists Him.
- Boldness to love radically in a world divided by hate.
- Boldness to trust God with our lives, even when it costs us.
So let this be our prayer:
“Lord, enable me to speak Your word with great boldness. Stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Jesus.” (Acts 4:29–30)
The early church prayed this prayer—and the world was changed. What might happen if we prayed it again today?
Want to Go Deeper?
This isn’t the first time we’ve wrestled with the challenge of biblical boldness at Northwest. Back in January 2024, we spent time in this same passage during our series “The Church,” exploring how the early believers responded to opposition with prayer for courage rather than safety.
If Anthony’s call to rediscover boldness resonates with you, we’d encourage you to revisit that message. It dives deeper into the practical implications of choosing God’s approval over human approval and what it means to be truly outward-focused as a church.
Watch: “The Church” Series - Part 2
Sometimes God brings us back to the same truths because we need to hear them again. Maybe this is one of those moments for you—and for all of us.
