“And now, Lord….grant that Thy bond-servants may speak Thy word with all confidence.” (Acts 4:29)
What a great prayer… asking the Father for boldness. Especially in light of so much brokenness that we just don’t know where to start.
1. Both bold prayer and bold speaking must be accomplished without hesitation.
The opposite of boldness is holding back in doubt. We may pray with great passion for someone to hear the Truth, but do we obey with great passion when He calls us to speak? It is not only our prayers that must be bold. He sometimes calls us to be the messenger as well. What can you say to those hurting around you?
May we not only believe that He hears our prayers, but also that He can use our fumbling words.
2. To speak with boldness,
it’s best to talk about experience.
My junior high English teacher always hammered the importance of writing what you know. Shouldn’t our witness be the same? When we try to explain a deep theological truth that we don’t yet understand ourselves, our testimony will sound scripted and fake. But when we speak on that which we have personally experienced and know with certainty to be true, argumentative knowledge isn’t needed. Your simple words need not be in “persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” (1 Corinthians 2:4).
Remember, “it is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that (Jesus speaks) are Spirit and are life.” (John 6:63) It worked for Him – why not stick with the same principle?
3. Transparency goes a long way.
As our girls moved into their teenaged years, I realized more and more my deep inadequacy to both answer their questions and model true life to them. Once, after one of their deep questions, I remember bursting into tears with my insufficiency to explain how the Christ-life worked. As I fumbled with my words, I finally gave up and stated simply, “I can’t explain Him. But I can say that He is far bigger than you can see in me.” Days later, my daughter expressed how that very inadequate statement increased her desire for Him far more than any of my previous God-lectures.
The Apostle Paul admitted that he hadn’t attained to perfect conformity with Christ (Philippians 3:12). Raw inadequacy goes further than proud perfection any day. As people bring tragedy to you, be transparent with Who you know, not what.
“Holy Father, when we think of the greatness of Who You are, we are often frightened to think that You would want to use us. Bind up our fear of sharing Who You are and replace it with a spirit of power, love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). It is Your desire to release Your Truth upon our world, especially in its current broken state. Grant that I might speak Your Word with all confidence among those that You send me to (Acts 4:29). In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
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