“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).
The disciples were ordinary men, uneducated by the standard of the religious elites of their day. Yet these men exhibited a boldness—a daring—as they spoke of Christ that no one could explain or deny. Those who heard their Master knew this type of courage had marked His words. Only Jesus spoke with such authority (Matthew 7:29). Now, this authority marked the words of Christ’s followers.
Peter and John had been with Jesus during His three-and-a-half-year ministry. They had been with the risen Christ during the forty days between the resurrection and the ascension (Acts 1:3). But they had also been with Him, by faith, in the place of prayer in the days following His ascension (Acts 1:13–14, 24; 2:42–43). “They had been with Jesus.” The nearer we are to the Lord, the more we are strengthened for the work He has given us to do. Prayer unquietly enables us to access this courage for three reasons:
Prayer leads us into God’s presence.
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Boldness with God precedes boldness with men. As we see the Lord clearly we begin to view every other person and circumstance properly. When God is big in our thinking, men will be small. Problems and enemies will be seen in the light of One who is greater than all (1 John 4:4).
Meek Moses spoke boldly as he came off the Mount because he had seen the glory of God (Exodus 34:29–32). Elijah unflinchingly stood against the prophets of Baal because he had communed with the Almighty (1 Kings 18:36–37). Joshua found renewed confidence for the battle after his own encounter with the Lord (Joshua 5:13–6:5). Timid Gideon gained supernatural courage from time in God’s presence (Judges 6:36–40). Daniel faced lions without fear because he had sought the face of God (Daniel 6:10). Nehemiah answered the king after he “prayed to the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4; 2:4). John the Baptist was not intimidated to call out the sin of powerful people because he lived in the holy presence of God (Mark 6:17–18). Stephen did not stagger at his stoning because, like His Savior, he died praying
(Acts 7:59–60).
This is always God’s way. Courage comes as we encourage ourselves in the Lord our God (1 Samuel 30:6–8). It is not the courage of knowing something, but the courage of being with Someone. Biblical courage is not thinking more of yourself and your own resources but recognizing our resources in Christ.
Prayer ties us to God’s promises.
George Müller was a man of unusual faith and unwavering confidence in God. He recorded fifty thousand definite answers to prayer. What was his secret? Every day he lived in the Word of God and claimed the promises of Scripture in prayer. Read George Müller of Bristol by A. T. Pierson or Müller’s autobiography, The Life of Trust, and you will see a life built on claiming the promises of God. The God of Müller—the God of the Bible—still lives, still provides, and still answers prayer.
Search the Scriptures and identify the great promises of God to His children. Faith grows through time in the Word (Romans 10:17), and true courage grows out of faith.
Hebrews 11 records the epitaph of men and women of faith. They were courageous believers. “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions” (Hebrews 11:33). Claim the promises, exercise your faith, and press on with confidence in God.
Prayer enables us to experience Christ’s partnership.
It is a good practice to develop prayer partners with whom you can share the burdens of life. Even better is the realization that God has given us two prayer partners who are always available and always interceding. The Holy Spirit is the prayer partner in our heart (Romans 8:26–27), and the Lord Jesus is our prayer partner in Heaven (Hebrews 7:25). What a prayer team! When we come to pray, we come to a prayer meeting that is already in progress.
Robert Murray M’Cheyne realized the power of Christ’s intercessory work. Andrew Bonar records his words in Memoir and Remains of the Rev. Robert Murray M’Cheyne: “I ought to study Christ as an Intercessor. He prayed most for Peter, who was to be most tempted. I am on His breastplate. If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million of enemies. Yet the distance makes no difference; He is praying for me.”
My pastor would often say to me before I stood to speak, “Jesus is praying for you.” Thank God, He knows how to get His prayers answered! An awareness of Christ’s partnership in prayer for us gives fresh courage in challenging times.
This is a day for holy boldness. Advancing wickedness, rampant confusion, endless questions, and widespread error demand that followers of Jesus represent the truth of God with courage. Christians must not cower in a corner while wicked men proudly parade Satan’s lies through every public forum. This is the time for believers to stand and speak courageously. This is the time to pray.
