Speaking Boldly About Our Hope
Picture this: Jesus had lived, died, and risen again. Some of His closest friends—Peter and John—were telling everyone about this miracle they had witnessed. They even performed some astonishing miracles in Christ’s name, like healing a beggar who’d been crippled from birth.
Thousands of people believed Peter and John’s testimonies about Jesus, but many of the religious leaders did not. In fact, in their eyes, such messages and miracles were dangerous, so they had Peter and John arrested.
But after they had served their sentences, Peter and John went back to the other believers, doing what was natural to them—praying bold prayers and trusting in God. Acts 4:31 tells us that “...when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”
Peter and John were in the habit of gathering together with other believers, praying together with other believers, and speaking boldly about the Word of God. As they did these things, the Holy Spirit filled them with the supernatural power of God.
Like Peter and John, who faced tons of opposition for their faith, we can keep trusting in and walking with God. We can keep gathering together with like-minded believers. We can keep praying bold prayers that can’t be accomplished on our own. We can keep speaking boldly about the hope we have in Jesus.
And as we do that, God’s Spirit will fill us and guide us every step of the way.
Help is Near
We weren’t created to go through life carrying heavy burdens that weigh us down.
Thankfully, we don’t have to.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
When Jesus came to earth, He took our burdens onto Himself. Even though we were far from God, Jesus carried the punishment for our wrongdoing and bore our suffering. And because of that, we have a Savior who understands and has compassion on us.
This Savior meets us in our mess, and invites us to find rest in Him. This Savior is God with us.
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
Psalms 68:19 NIV
King David wrote that Psalm hundreds of years before Jesus’ arrival. But even then, God was illustrating to people that His character was constant, and He was trustworthy.
God ...