Acts 4:23-31
Back with friends who the day before had bid them farewell as they headed to the Temple, Peter and John report-in on their adventure. They spare no details and tell of the conflict with the authorities and their night in jail. Being a follower of Jesus was not a politically correct stance back then as often it is not here today. The group gathers together and prays. They comfort themselves that the unfolding of events can be seen predicted in Scripture and so is not surprising. But listen to their prayer request, “enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” In the face of persecution, they pray for boldness of integrity and faith. They did not ask for protection. They asked for boldness. The result of that prayer was that the faith community grew in faith, in experiencing signs and wonders, and in generosity with each other.
So what is our prayer? Are we praying for boldness to speak our truth about our experience of Jesus? I fear the pressure today is towards tolerance and not to offend someone who disagrees with us. I looked up synonyms for bold and found words like daring, brave, valiant, fearless, courageous, unafraid, adventuresome, spirited, positive, confident plus more.
Let’s take a minute now to pick just three of these synonyms and write a sentence of what faith described by the word would look like. For example, I might write, “Being brave would mean sharing when I’m afraid I’ll be laughed at or rejected and when I am afraid I will loose social status.” Give it a try with a couple words and then pray for what you would like to receive today. Blessings as you reflect. May we be brave and not scared!
On the Way to Wonder 