“And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak Your Word with all boldness, while You stretch out Your Hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the Name of Your Holy Servant Jesus.” When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God with boldness. Acts 4:29-31

John and Peter are released and they return to the Church to tell what happened before the authorities. The believers continue to meet head-on the threats and direct persecution of believers in Christ Resurrected. Gathering together, this Scripture is a portion of their prayer. While they do not pray that the persecution cease, they ask that they will be strengthened to endure and will be empowered to speak with boldness.

Beginning their prayer with, “Sovereign Lord who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them, it is You who said by the Holy Spirit… ,” then using the words in Psalm 2 they launch into glorious praise and rejoicing that the threats against them are already targeted by our overcoming God. They pray for boldness to speak His Word, for the Lord Jesus Christ to heal, and that the Lord perform signs and wonders as they call on His Name.

Then the earth shakes as they are filled with the Holy Spirit! What we glean from this Scriptural witness is that we are to do the same. Our pattern of prayer may be the same with similar results. What they did then, we do now. Pray for boldness to speak His Word using the Name of Jesus Christ resulting in healing, signs and wonders, and be Spirit filled!