The believers gathered together to pray in Acts 4:23-31 did not simply pray for boldness. They also asked God to do miraculous things: ‘Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ (Acts 4:30)
We need to learn to pray in this way, asking God to heal and perform signs and wonders through Jesus’ name. We need to do this because it is clearly a Biblical way of praying and because when God moves in these supernatural ways, God’s word is confirmed and people are drawn to faith.
Our prayers need to have this same dual focus. We need God to work in us, giving us the courage and boldness to do what He asks us to do, but we also need to plead with God to work in ways that are far beyond us. Christianity is a religion of miracles. It’s the story of how God Himself came into our world and took the initiative; it’s His story, not ours. People need to see the acts of God for themselves; they need to know that God is alive and working in our community at this particular time.
Our prayers should not simply be for ourselves, but for our communities, our nation and our world, that God will stretch out His hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Jesus. Isaiah prayed, ‘Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!’ (Is 64:1) Nothing less than the supernatural power of God is needed to turn people away from sin and towards God.
