Confidence

June 6

2 Samuel 20-21

Psalm 69:5-12

Proverbs 15:10-12

Acts 4:23-37

Confidence

“And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your slaves may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders happen through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.  And when they prayed earnestly, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with confidence.”  Acts 4:29-31 LSB

Peter and John were beginning to experience persecution for telling people about Jesus.  They were summoned by the religious leaders and ordered not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.  In response, they told them that if they had to choose between listening to them or to God, they could not stop speaking about what they had seen and heard.  Instead of being scared and intimidated, they prayed for confidence to speak more boldly.  We know from Scripture and from other writings in church history that the disciples and others in the early church were persecuted severely by the Jewish leaders and by Rome.  Many were martyred for their faith.  The threats were not empty words and the danger was very real. They didn’t pray that God would destroy their enemies or that He would protect them.  They prayed for boldness and confidence in the face of the danger.    

The prayers of these apostles are very convicting.  Living in the United States, we have never experienced this type of persecution.  Thankfully, at least for now, we do not face danger for telling people about Jesus.  The message of the gospel is becoming increasingly unpopular and there is a push to label Christian teaching as hate speech.  There may very well come a time when we are not free to share our faith and where doing so may result in imprisonment or worse, but as of now, that is not the case.  And yet, how often are we doing it?  There are people all around us who do not know Jesus.  They desperately need to know that Jesus is the answer for any situation they are facing.  Like the disciples, we can tell them what we have seen and heard and experienced personally.  We can tell them the difference Jesus has made in our lives.  So why don’t we?  Are we afraid they will laugh at us?  Get mad at us?  Be offended?  We know the secret of living a life filled with meaning, purpose, joy, and peace.  If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth as a baby, lived a perfect life, gave Himself as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sin, was crucified, buried and raised Himself from the dead, why aren’t we sharing that news with anyone who will listen?  Instead of praying for things that will make our lives more comfortable and easier, we should be praying for confidence to share the good news boldly.  We should pray for opportunities to tell people what Jesus has done for us and to have the courage to take advantage of every opportunity He gives us.