Do you want to see more answers to prayer and miracles in your life? If so I want to provide an example of a simple prayer from the Book of Acts that did exactly that.
It came to mind as I was reading an article about Heidi Baker, 61, who works as a missionary in Cabo Delgado Province in Mozambique, a small country in Northern Africa along the India Ocean.
Baker’s organization, Iris Global, runs orphanages and provides humanitarian aid in the province that is dominated by an Islamic extremist group called Al Shabab that has killed nearly 3,000 people through dozens of terrorist attacks since Baker established her ministry in 2017.
According to Baker being a Christian makes you a target and several churches in the province have been burned to the ground in Al Shabab’s attempt to set up a Caliphate.
In its most recent attack on Palma in March 2021, hundreds of terrorist stormed the town killing dozens of people and as well kidnapped children, girls for wives and boys as fighters.
The government of Mozambique was eventually able to retake the town after a bitter fight with the insurgents
Baker told CBN:
“Al Shabab, they are a frightening bunch. I’m not going to be phony, I don’t want to get chopped up, I don’t want to be kidnapped, I want to continue to preach this glorious Gospel for many more decades.”
Yet despite this increasing danger, Baker continues to minister in the region and tells her workers:
“Don’t be afraid but fix your eyes on Jesus, He takes away the fear and puts relentless courage in you.”
I found her call for ‘relentless courage’ interesting because it reminds me of a prayer uttered by the disciples of the early church, and I believe it is a prayer that is relevant today, as Christians are increasingly being intimidated by governments and cancel culture if they dare to express their faith in the public form.
Shortly after the Day of Pentecost, the early believers faced blatant attacks by the Jewish leaders who were concerned about the growing popularity of this sect of Judaism that was proclaiming Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.
The Jewish leaders tried to intimidate these early believers by threatening arrest if they continued preaching Christ.
During this tense time, we read of one of their prayer meetings as they gathered asking God for help.
So how did they pray?
Did they pray for protection?
Did they pray for God to judge those who were persecuting them?
No.
They prayed that God would give them courage to continue preaching the Gospel in face of increasing persecution:
29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29-30 NIV)
As part of this prayer, they also asked for signs and wonders because these would embolden the disciples to share their faith.
It was a prayer that God willingly answered, and the Holy Spirit fell upon the group, and we are told they were filled with the Holy Spirit and the place was shaken.
But it is also a dangerous prayer.
Click here to watch interview with Heidi Baker.
OpentheWord.org 