It's Time to Pray: Let the Place Be Shaken

By Bob Slosser
CBN.com Columnist

CBN.com – Luke, author of the Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, a physician by profession, wrote, "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken."

That "place" -- Acts 4:31, NIV -- was probably the "one place" noted in the earlier account of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the church at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). The Great Physician may have been writing of an upper room in the home of John Marks mother where the Christians often met and where some of them had lodged.

Ive often thought, "Boy, I would like to be at a prayer meeting like that." Ive never been any place that was shaken by prayer. Thats the stuff Im looking for in a revival many believe is coming after the tragedies of September 11. Why not? Those first-century Christians were in trouble and hiding, having been beaten up and told by the top officials "to speak no longer in this name [Jesus]." The Apostles Peter and John replied, "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19-20, NIV). They were flogged for this later in a later episode, being commanded not to speak in the name of Jesus (Acts 5:40). Thats all? The big officials thought they were being light on them. Flogged? Can you imagine the social, legal, and political fuss such a beating would cause today?

Those Christians had what Israel needed to survive the occupation by the Romans and the general discontent in Jerusalem. The Christians today have what America needs to survive the strange war on terrorism were in more than to survive, of course, but to prevail. The hard part is, just as in that first church, few believe this but the Christians. As a result, both then and now, we need a renewal of life, which is what revival means: a restoration of life or consciousness, of vigor or activity. In everything but time and environment we are just like the first Christians. We have the same God and Lord. Surely our prayer rooms could shake, too if we were as fervent and committed as they were.

After Peter and John, jailed overnight, had bravely refused to do what the Sanhedrin commanded, the officials made further threats and let them go. Luke, a masterful reporter, wrote, "They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed [publicly the previous day] was over forty years old" (Acts 4:21-22).

Can you imagine being offended by that? Its as bad as praying publicly before a football game.

The two apostles "went back to their own people," the Bible says (Acts 4:23-24a), and told them all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When the others heard this, they lifted up their voices together in prayer to God.

Note the order. First, a time of praise and worship (I expect they sang, too), just as in many prayer meetings today. They began with "Sovereign Lord, you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 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? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One [drawing on Psalm 2]."

Then they repeated to the Father how Herod and Pontius Pilate had met with the people of Israel in Jerusalem to conspire against His holy servant Jesus, whom He had anointed. "They did what your will had decided beforehand should happen," they prayed.

Then they moved to petition from praise and the recounting of the mighty acts of God: "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants [us] to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

Are you ready? "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" (Acts 4:24b-31).

Its time to pray, beloved.