Pray for Miracles
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
Acts 4:29-30 NIV
Signs and wonders
“Signs and Wonders” were another one of the hallmarks of the early church.
Throughout Paul’s missionary journeys, God uses him to perform signs and wonders. If you’ve ever read the book of Acts you might become impressed with Paul and think there was something special or unique about him. Like many Christians before you, you might aspire to be like him or even think of him as a hero of the church. But I want to challenge you to recognize that Paul, himself, would tell you that he was a human, just like us. In fact, I don’t think there was anything terribly unique about Paul.
It is no coincidence that boldness and signs and wonders became the hallmark of Paul’s ministry. It wasn’t by accident. It wasn’t unintentional. It wasn’t simply because Paul was that kind of leader. Rather, I think these things became the hallmark of his leadership because it was something the early church prayed for. If we go all the way back to the beginning of Acts, listen to what they pray for:
“Now, Lord… Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29)
Before Paul was even a Christian, the early church was praying that it would be a church that performed signs and wonders. Paul came to Christ within a church prayed-up.
We can’t plant a church without God’s intervention. We trust that God will use our church to transform the lives of people, providing healing and hope where there was none. We hope God will provide the perfect location, and help us meet the budget to pay for this location. We are praying that God will do more than we could ever think or imagine. And when God works even the smallest details out, while we could easily explain them away, we will choose to give God all the praise and glory.
Will you pray that God would perform signs and wonders in our midst? Will you pray that God would work miracles in this new church start? Will you pray that God will be with us in a big way? Would you pray that God might work in ways we never thought possible?