But Prayer: Applications from Acts
/“God was not allowing me to be independent anymore; I had to be dependent on him”
Few things in life rattle me more than change. When my brother Elijah and I were growing up, we would change the environment we lived in every week. One week, my mom’s house, the next week, my dad’s. Every Friday, I would pack almost all my clothes, toys, and anything else and take them with me to the other house. I did not want to transition into the next week without the safety of my belongings. When I graduated from UMKC, I was so used to being a student and did not want to look for a full-time job. I did not want to transition into a career mindset.
When my parents told me they were moving to Boston to plant a church, my first instinct was to go with them. I did not want to transition into a life that did not have them alongside me in Kansas City. When my Bible study leader told me she was also going to Boston, I drew back because I did not want the transition into leadership.
Each of these changes did not have a quick and easy fix; there was no immediate relief. Change was happening whether I liked it or not. My heart needed to be settled but could not find a resolution. Prayer has become that resolution. God revealed this to me in Acts 12. He showed me how to take moments of change and turn them into moments where I am desperate to meet with him. If prayer is not made, I am stagnant, complacent, and trying to fix circumstances on my own. God was not allowing me to be independent anymore; I had to be dependent on him. This meant coming before him with prayers full of faith, trusting him with victory, and watching him do the miraculous works.
What are all the miraculous things I am trusting God for, you ask? I used to despise that question. “So, Gabrielle, what are you trusting God for?” Why are you asking me this? You go first. Deep down, I couldn’t even answer it. Well… I am trusting God for… for… to see… to be… I am trusting God to…
It is a vulnerable question. Prayer is a vulnerable thing. I realized I had not been vulnerable with the Lord.
“When prayers are made, resolution comes, and God’s will is made a reality. ”
Importance of Prayer
Pastor Brandon Briscoe has been preaching from the book of Acts in C&YA. This book has “change” written all over it–change in perspective, change in leadership, change in the way salvation is received.
Let’s examine how the people in Acts dealt with this change.
Before Acts 12, we saw how Barnabas and Paul teamed up together and went into Antioch, which is also known as the city of heathens, a wicked city, that was finally turning their eyes to Jesus. They were there for one year investing, discipling, and building the church. The church in Antioch is a model church. However, the persecution in Jerusalem didn’t let up. King Herod Agrippa the 1st put the church under attack. The leadership in Jerusalem turned away from Jesus, and the persecution of the people increased.
Act 12:1-5 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth [his] hands to vex certain of the church. 2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) 4 And when he had apprehended him, he put [him] in prison, and delivered [him] to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. 5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
They “made” prayer. Brandon talked about how this implies intention. They were cultivating a discipline–a craft of the mind and the heart. They knew it would take work to endure the change and persecution done by King Herod, and they were willing to put the work in. They knew the value of prayer. It became their greatest comfort and their greatest tool. Acts 12:5 says that the persecution continues, but “prayer was made without ceasing.” A dialogue between creation and its creator made without ceasing became necessary to overcome persecution. Prayer was necessary to endure the change taking place in Acts. Romans 1:9 says, “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;” The early church even knew how to do this.
2 Timothy 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve from [my] forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
Praying constantly and consistently means we invite God’s resolution regardless of the outcome. Just like change can happen whether we like it or not, we can trust God for resolution, and we can trust him regardless of what happens next. We want to invite God into every aspect of our lives. When prayers are made, resolution comes, and God’s will is made a reality. When I recognize my inability, weakness, and immaturity, I no longer take prayer for granted. I run to prayer as my first resort. It should be my first instinct. This has to be my approach. Brandon noted that in times of difficulty, God wants us to find our way to him. The importance of prayer became a reality in my life.
“I can be bold, be heard, be respectful, be corrected, and be willing to receive the answer he gives me”
Application of Prayer
Luke 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
I am still learning how to pray. There are moments when I think, Can I ask God for this? Am I asking too much? Was I just rambling? Did I not say enough? These are thoughts that cloud my mind when I allow Satan to interfere with my prayer life. Then I remember Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Pleasing God means having faith. Having faith means you are moving forward in God’s will. Moving forward in God’s will looks like boldness. Acts has revealed to me my lack of boldness and lack of desperation in my prayers. I am seeing how necessary it is to run to God when times of change feel heavy and overwhelming. I am desiring to approach him more eagerly than I ever have before. I have become bolder in my prayers: bolder in what I ask him for, bolder in when I come to him, bolder in knowing when my prayers align with his will. Ultimately, I have grown to know him better.
Brandon reminded us that Paul prayed three times for the thing that he struggled with, the thorn in his flesh, to be taken. But, God did not answer Paul’s prayer according to his desire. Does that mean God wasn’t with him since he didn’t meet Paul’s expectations? Does that mean Paul was not being bold enough?
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
It means that no matter the answer God gives us, his answer is always better than any solution we can come up with. We should not settle for our solutions; rather, we should be desperate for the Lord to give us the resolution he knows will be best. I’m learning he knows all things and still wants to hear our hearts. He still wants me to tell him the pressing things that overwhelm me. I’m learning when I pray according to my desire, he does not shut me down but rather tells me to try again. I am learning how to meet with the Lord the way he would want. I can be bold, be heard, be respectful, be corrected, and be willing to receive the answer he gives me.
I am desperate, but I encourage you to pray according to God’s will. Watch how he transforms your thought life, circumstance, and ability to minister. Prayer softened my heart; it changed my perspective. My understanding of my weakness and the Lord’s strength increased. .
“I did not run, hide or fight the change; instead, I held on through prayer.”
In times when I have been reluctant to change, I knew I had not sought the Lord in prayer as I should have. It took knowing the Lord and still getting to know Him. Spending time with him in his word, knowing what he likes/dislikes, knowing what words please his ears and what disgusts him. It takes time to build a relationship. These things sound like me. I want to be communicated with in a way that is loving and genuine. I want the person I’m having conversations with to actually listen to me and not just want someone to gossip with. We lack talking to God as a person. I am learning to talk with him as a friend, but more importantly, a Father.
I am slowly learning the moments God allows changes in my life are the most important. It is my learning stage, my refining stage. The stage that rips my heart out and forces me to be vulnerable. Brandon said it best: “Escape is not important. Worship is important.” I should not want to escape change but rather surrender during it. I can become desperate for God to give me peace. God has put me in places in ministry where I’ve been forced to be vulnerable with him in prayer. Those moments are when resolution came. I did not run, hide or fight the change; instead, I held on through prayer.
Act 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
Despite deliverance? But prayer. Experiencing change? But prayer. Can’t handle the new transition? But prayer. Freaking out because your parents are moving to Boston? But prayer. Oh, and they’re taking your Bible study leader with them, which means you are the new Bible study leader? But prayer.
Lost your job? Mom isn’t following the Lord? Your siblings aren’t saved? Old addictions/habits clouding your mind? Your ex came back into your life? Immigration is after you? Your professor failed you after you quoted the Bible in your last discussion post? Your heart aches for a lost soul? Your best friend walked away from the church? But prayer.
Change has taught me desperation. I have to be in a constant state of dependency and seeking the Lord. I have learned prayer brings revival in my walk with the Lord, in my ministry, and my relationships. Change has forced me to have an ongoing conversation with God.
I pray aloud, I pray during hard conversations, I pray when I’m frustrated, I pray when I’m anxious at the grocery store, I pray when I feel uneasy, I pray when I feel incapable in ministry–I have learned to pray.
Wait. I am still learning how to pray; I am not there yet. In the meantime, I will continue dialogue with the Lord. He is my Father and a friend. He is worth talking to and sharing my heart with. I am thankful for the resolutions he has given me.
Gabrielle Pietrogiovanna is a discipler and small group leader in Midtown Baptist Temple’s College and Young Adults ministry. She also serves on the service coordinating team.