I woke up recently tired and a bit bedraggled. I knew what I needed, what I had been lacking for a few weeks. So, I curled up on the couch with my Bible and begin to read and to pray. When my prayer and praise life is interrupted by life in general, I feel spiritually weak. There is no power in my life when there is no praise and prayer.
Acts 4 begins with the arrest of Peter and John for speaking to the people about the resurrection of Jesus. Later they were brought before the members of the council to explain both the healing of a crippled beggar and their bold words. The Council recognized they were ordinary men with no training in the Scripture, but “They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” [vs 13b NLT]
After being warned not to speak again about Jesus, Peter and John left the presence of the rulers and went back to their own people. They reported what had happened and all that the chief priest and elders had said to them. After the people of God listened to the account, they immediately raised their voices together and began to praise, and then they began to pray.
“Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.” They praised God for who He is and what He had done. Then they prayed, “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” [4:23-30]
As soon as they were done, “the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” [4:31]
Praise combined with Prayer equals Power. It was so in Peter’s and John’s time; it is so in ours.
