Petitioning God
Speaker Notes
Acts 4:23-31
The Believers Pray
23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“‘Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord
and against his anointed one.’
27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 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.”
31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Revival by Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1987, Crossway Books)
page 42 (Chapter 3, Unbelief)
... I would make this point urgently because of my profound conviction that until men and women in the Christian Church (I am not thinking of those who are outside) are humbled, and abased, and fall to the earth before this holy, and righteous, yes, to use the term of Jonathan Edwards, angry God, I see no hope of revival.
page 20 (Chapter 1, The Urgent Need for Revival Today)
But we shall not be interested in revival until we realise the need of ‘this kind’, the futility of all our own efforts and endeavours and the utter absolute need of prayer, and seeking the power of God alone.
Christopher Leighton