One of the believers that was giving commentary that day said that Acts is a book on God's move and also a book on prayer. Then he said, "Every time the Lord moved through the apostles and the disciples it was because of their prayer. Prayer and God's move go hand in hand." This got me thinking. I decided to go back through Acts Chapter 1-10 this afternoon and try to find as many of these references as I could, and here are the ones I found:
Acts 1:14 These all continued steadfastly with one accord in prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. [The prayer for 10 days before Pentecost.]
Acts 1:24 And they prayed and said, You Lord Knower of the hearts of all, show us clearly the one whom You have chosen of these two [In their prayer for who should replace Judas.]
Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles, and the breaking of bread and the prayers
Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John were going up into the temple at the ninth-hour prayer; [Afterward the lame man is healed by Peter.]
Acts 4:24 And when they heard this, they lifted up their voice with one accord to God and said, Sovereign Master, You are the One who has made heaven and earth and the sea and all things in them, [The church's praise and prayer after Peter and John are released by the Sanhedrin.]
Acts 6:4 But we will continue steadfastly in prayer and the ministry of the word.
Acts 6:6 Whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. [For choosing seven to serve tables.]
Acts 8:15 Who went down and prayed for them so that they might receive the Holy Spirit; [Phillip preaching the gospel to those in Samaria.]
Acts 9:11 And the Lord said to him, rise up and go to the lane called Straight, and seek in the house of Judas a man from Tarsus named Saul; for behold he is praying;
Acts 9:40 And Peter put them all outside; and kneeling down, he prayed; and he turned to the body and said, Tabitha, rise up. And she opened her eyes; and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
Acts 10:1-2 Now there was in Caesarea a certain man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Cohort, devout and one who feared God with all his household, giving many alms to the people and beseeching God continually.
Acts 10:4 And he looked intently at him and became terrified and said, What is it, Lord? And he said to him, Your prayers and your alms have ascend as a memorial before God.
Acts 10:9 And on the next day as they were journeying and drawing near to the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray around the sixth hour.
Acts 10:31 And he said Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.
I think just going through these 10 chapters is pretty convincing, don't you? When I shared all of this with my husband, he said this reminded him of a quote by Watchman Nee that is on my refrigerator:
"Why do we work so much and pray so little when God accomplishes more by our prayer than by our work?"
You can listen to excerpts from the Life Study of Acts along with excellent commentary by tuning into the Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.
Other Blogs on the Life Study of Acts:
In the Book of Acts What is Christ Doing in Ascension?
What Does the Early Church Look Like in the Book of Acts?
According to Acts 5:31 What is the Lord Doing as the Ruler of the Earth?
How Did the Lord Spread the Gospel in Acts 8?
What Vision Did Saul Have at His Conversion in Acts 9:3-8?
How Does the Gospel Reach the Gentiles in Acts 10?
How is Acts a Book on God's Move & Prayer?
Seeing God's Move & Satan's Frustration in Acts 14
Prayer, the Spirit, & the Word - The Way the Lord Carries out His Work in the Book of Acts
Seeing God's New Testament Economy in the Book of Acts - Part 1 of 2
Seeing God's New Testament Economy in the Book of Acts - Part 2 of 2
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