PRAY BOLDLY
“And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31, ESV).
In my last devotion, I shared many points or ways that we can pray to our Almighty God. We can pray boldly, specifically, humbly, patiently, expectantly, continuously, in God’s will, selflessly for His glory, and in the power of Jesus' name. I thought I’d expand individually on each of those points. Let’s examine praying boldly.
What does it mean to be bold? Webster defines bold as a person, action, or idea showing an ability to take risks, be confident, and show courage. It can be described as daring, courageous, brave, valiant, fearless, and unafraid.
An example of courage in the Old Testament is when Gideon spoke with (prayed to) God. Judges 6:36-40 says Gideon boldly prayed (not only once but twice) for a sign from God that he would be used by God to save Israel. The first time he asked for a sign that the dew would only be on the fleece while keeping the ground dry, and God answered his prayer and did just that. But then Gideon asked for a second sign, reversing it so that the fleece would be dry with the ground covered in dew instead. God did it again, answering Gideon’s prayer!
Even more daring is in Genesis 18:22-33 when Abraham pleaded with God to save Sodom and Gomorrah for 50 men. He then continued to ask God—not just once—but 5 more times to save Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of 45, 40, 30, 20, and 10 righteous men. Now that’s courageous! Both Gideon’s prayer to reverse the sign and Abraham’s continued “negation” with our Almighty God were bold!
How can we be bold? Consider 2 Timothy 1:7… “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (NKJV). God fills us with the Holy Spirit, who is bold and courageous! When our hearts are aligned with God in faith, He tells us to pray with boldness, expecting that our prayers will be answered (1 John 5:14).
The Spirit of God emboldens us to proclaim the Gospel without fear (1 Thessalonians 2:2). Andrew, Wendy, and the Palau team do exactly that when they share the Gospel unashamedly around the globe!
Just recently, Andrew and Wendy were in Egypt proclaiming the Gospel to thousands of people. Read some of the report sent over from David Chigamba, Palau’s African Festival Director:
“Then came the evening big event, where Andrew shared powerfully the Word. Over 14,000 people came the last night. As the invitation was made, you could see fathers unashamedly standing in the presence of their families to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. That is not an easy thing to do in most cultures, because men are not supposed to show weakness. But as they heard the word of salvation, they couldn’t help it but stand, some with tears rolling down their faces. Some of them were fully aware of the repercussions that could follow as a result of the decision they had taken but they could not help but to stand.” Now that’s BOLD!
David also shared… “We rejoice at what God has done in Egypt through the team. But we want you to know that you are the very reason that made this happen. Many of you stood in the gap and prayed earnestly and that’s why we could witness great victory.”
Thank you for being on the Palau Prayer Team. We appreciate your prayers! As we head into the end of the year, let’s praise God together for the team’s recent work in Kenya, the latest opportunities to advance the Gospel in Iraq and Egypt, and the upcoming festival in Uruguay and beyond. “In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence” (Ephesians 3:12, NIV).
Like Abraham and Gideon, join me in praying boldly for our Palau team. Our quarterly prayer call is coming soon on October 17 at 1 pm Pacific time. Don’t miss out on approaching God’s throne courageously with me and other like-minded believers!
Persistent in Prayer,
Gail Stockamp
“And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us.” (1 John 5:14, ESV).