Boldness Through Prayer
Frank Park | Founding and Senior Pastor
“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness…” (Acts 4:29)
When Peter and John were threatened by the religious leaders for preaching about Jesus, they didn’t shrink back. But notice - these weren’t men relying on natural courage. These were men who, just weeks earlier, had fled in fear and denied even knowing Jesus. Something had changed. And that something was the Holy Spirit and a deep devotion to prayer.
In Acts 4, after being released from jail and further threatened by the religious leaders, Peter and John gathered with fellow believers not to vent, strategize, or complain, but to pray. And what did they pray for? Not safety. Not escape. Not revenge. They prayed for boldness. Boldness to continue doing the very thing that got them arrested in the first place.
This is key: there is no boldness without prayer. Boldness is not a personality trait; it’s a spiritual response empowered by the Holy Spirit and rooted in deep communion with God. When we rely on personality, we burn out or back down. But when we rely on God through prayer, He fills us with a supernatural boldness that defies logic and fear.
We often think boldness is for the extroverted, the confident, or the naturally loud. But the Bible paints a different picture. Boldness is for every follower of Jesus. It’s not a matter of temperament. Rather, it’s a matter of obedience.
Are you praying for boldness, or are you simply praying for comfort? The early church didn’t just survive persecution, they flourished in it, because they knew where true boldness came from. And they refused to settle for safe Christianity knowing that following Jesus was never meant to be safe.
When Peter and John were threatened by the religious leaders for preaching about Jesus, they didn’t shrink back. But notice - these weren’t men relying on natural courage. These were men who, just weeks earlier, had fled in fear and denied even knowing Jesus. Something had changed. And that something was the Holy Spirit and a deep devotion to prayer.
In Acts 4, after being released from jail and further threatened by the religious leaders, Peter and John gathered with fellow believers not to vent, strategize, or complain, but to pray. And what did they pray for? Not safety. Not escape. Not revenge. They prayed for boldness. Boldness to continue doing the very thing that got them arrested in the first place.
This is key: there is no boldness without prayer. Boldness is not a personality trait; it’s a spiritual response empowered by the Holy Spirit and rooted in deep communion with God. When we rely on personality, we burn out or back down. But when we rely on God through prayer, He fills us with a supernatural boldness that defies logic and fear.
We often think boldness is for the extroverted, the confident, or the naturally loud. But the Bible paints a different picture. Boldness is for every follower of Jesus. It’s not a matter of temperament. Rather, it’s a matter of obedience.
Are you praying for boldness, or are you simply praying for comfort? The early church didn’t just survive persecution, they flourished in it, because they knew where true boldness came from. And they refused to settle for safe Christianity knowing that following Jesus was never meant to be safe.