The Believers Pray for Courage

September 4, 2017

The Believers Pray for Courage

But what joy for all who take refuge in him!

Psalm 2:12b

Seven months ago, I began this series of meditations on the Book of Psalms. I saved Psalm 2 for the last because I believe Psalm 2 is so helpful to our following Christ today. It is also helpful as an introduction to my next series of mediations, which I will begin tomorrow on the Book of Romans. Although Psalm 2 does not identify its author, Acts 4:24-26 attributes it to King David. The context of how this Psalm was used in first few weeks of the post-Pentecost church is as applicable today as it was two thousand years ago!

First, some background. Nations rebelled against God’s Sovereignty. But God, out of the abundance of His mercy, sent His only begotten Son, the Messiah, as the way to restoration and harmony with God. The appropriate response to God’s Messiah is subordination to and worship of God. However, devoting our life to God has always been risky because the ways of God are in conflict with the ways of the world. Psalm 2 addresses a heavenly view of all history as well as the future beyond the horizon.

In Acts 4, Peter and John had been arrested. Immediately after their release from jail, they rejoined the other believers, and they all prayed together. (See Acts 4:23-31) They began their prayer by quoting Psalm 2:1-2, “…The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah” (Acts 4:26). Their prayer notes that they were encountering vicious resistance to their witness for Jesus, and so they prayed, “. . . give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29-30).

Today, the followers of Christ are a small minority in the world and in the USA. Today, there is much resistance, including violence, to the witness for Jesus Christ in our culture. Today, every bit as much as the forbearers of our faith in Jerusalem two thousand years ago, we need to pray for courage to boldly proclaim the Word of the Lord. I believe, with every fiber of my being, that as believers come together to pray, we will share the experience of our ancestors in the cause of Christ:

“After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).

Oh Lord, may we be so empowered for your work today!

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2017 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.