Praying That the Word of God Would Go Forth and That the Gospel Would Be Shared
“… they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead… Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand” (KJV, Acts 4:2, 4).
“… they taught the people”
Father, I thank you for the ways in which You have taught me. I thank You that You stand ready to reveal truth to me from Your Word. I pray that You would forgive me for my sin this day and cleanse me from all impurity. I pray that You would ready my heart to receive what You have for me so that Your words would not fall on deaf ears.
I also pray that You would help me to be able to teach Your Word to others. I see that there are people who will be gifted teachers in this life. I also see that the Holy Spirit distributes gifts as He so chooses. However, I also see that there is a need for everyone to be able to talk about Jesus and Your Word.
I pray that You would help me to share with others what You show me in Your Word. I recognize that there are times in which I cannot say, along with Paul, that I am unashamed of Your Gospel. It would appear as though an issue that is plaguing mankind is not that people cannot teach Your Word, but that they shrink back when they should move forward and share the Gospel.
I pray that You would start in my heart first. Help me to be bold like Paul. Help me to teach Your Word, share with others, and step out in faith for Your glory.
“and preached through Jesus”
I also see that in the verse at hand, Peter and John preached Christ. Sometimes, it may seem that preaching strays far from the heart of God in that Christ is not being faithfully proclaimed. While this is not always the case, I pray that there would be a revival of Christ-centered, Gospel-driven preaching among the faithful pastors in the land.
I pray that You would bless the faithful and true pastors that are honoring You from their pulpits. I pray that You would strengthen them for ministry and give them the courage to proclaim Your Word.
You are worthy to be shared with others. You alone are worthy of worship. I thank You for Christ this day. I thank You that I can know Him, and I pray that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ would be seen as greater in my heart. Magnify Christ within my heart this day, and draw me to Him in greater devotion and love.
“the resurrection from the dead”
I thank You for what Christ’s resurrection means for me. I thank You that in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, I can see that when I die and am buried, I will not stay dead. Instead, I will also rise when my life comes to an end on this earth.
I thank You for the many proofs that You have given concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You certainly have given many reasons for the Christian to believe. Many people, both inside and outside the Bible, speak of Christ’s death and crucifixion. It is amazing that anyone would ever deny such an established historical fact.
Thank You for the dedication of Your apostles. Thank You for their message that Christ has risen and that unto death, they proclaimed this message. In their life and in their death, I also see startling proofs for the resurrection of Jesus. I thank You for the conversion of the church persecutor Paul, who seemingly would have never come to Christ based on his lifestyle prior to his conversion unless what he claimed was actually true, that Christ appeared to him. Thank You for the conversion of James, Jesus’ brother, who was a skeptic during the life of Jesus and who would never have come to Christ if Christ had only died. Finally, I thank You for the empty tomb. Certainly, the empty tomb is the pinnacle of the resurrection of Christ.
“Howbeit many of them which heard the word”
Father, I pray that You would give me ears to hear. I recognize that the flesh profits nothing, but that it is the Spirit Who can give me life. I have nothing within my flesh that can cause the lights to come on. I need Your Spirit to bring about illumination. I need Your Spirit to open my ears that I might hear Your Word.
In the life of Jesus, it is evident that You alone can open blind eyes and deaf ears. I believe that You can, and I pray that You will. I also believe that You will and that You love to help Your children hear Your voice. Please be gracious to me that I might hear Your voice this day. Please be gracious to me, and lead me in the way that I ought to go.
I can do nothing good apart from Your divine assistance. I pray that You would send out Your Word and bring healing to my life. I pray that You would send out Your Word and deliver me from destruction. Your Word brings life, and I thank You for it.
Father, I pray that You would work an appreciation for Your Word in my heart. I know that there are times when I can become complacent in reading Your Word and listening to Your Word. I pray that You would never let me drift from Your path. I pray that You would keep me close to You.
I also see that I will not hear Your voice unless I place myself in front of You. I also see that You have chosen to speak to me from Your Word. Please, Lord, would You speak to me from Your word this day.
“believed”
Father, I thank You for the gift of faith. I see that the people in the verse today believed. I also see that belief is not necessarily a one-time act, but a lifelong process that consists of growing in one’s belief. I also see that much of the Christian walk is based upon faith, as Paul has said; it is not by sight that we walk with Christ, but by faith.
I pray that You would increase my faith this day. I believe, Lord, but I pray that You would help my unbelief. I find that it can be easy to believe during the easy times, but when things get hard and my faith is tested, I often fail the test. Please have mercy on me for my lack of faith. Please forgive me for my sin.
I pray that You would help me to believe every Word that You have written, and not just say that I believe, but that faith would be evident in the way that I live. I need Your help in this area, as I often fall. I need Your help; would You please take my hand? Lead me in this walk of faith, that I too could be commended for my faith and that I too could bring You glory and honor by the life that I have lived.
“and the number of the men was about five thousand”
Father, I thank You for the explosion of the early church. The way in which You converted souls in the early church is nothing short of a miracle and a testimony to the validity of the message. If Christ died and was buried in a tomb, there would have been no reason for the people to believe if He remained in that tomb. However, thousands of people turned to Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
Thank You for Your Gospel message. I recognize that it is through Your Gospel that You choose to save. Please help me to be like Peter and John and faithfully share Your Gospel with others. Please help me to be a faithful ambassador for You, O Lord.