That they may step out in boldness

We are in the middle of a week of fasting and prayer for America called for by Australian believers. Because of that, I am recycling a blog series that I wrote last year. At that time, God prompted me to shift my focus as I prayed for the US. In short, He showed me these four things about which to pray:

• Pray for people to know what to do.
• Pray for people to receive wisdom along with their knowledge.
• Pray for those people to receive the boldness to step out in what they know to do.
• Pray for those people to be filled with boldness to carry out their tasks to completion.

Originally posted last year (seventh in series):

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

…and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:19-20

When I heard the Lord direct me to pray for people to know what to do, I understood that He was referring to everyone with a role to play in this hour. However, I also knew that He was speaking in particular of leaders, both in the secular world and in the church.

He let me know that vast amounts of insight, information, revelation, and truth had been made known—and would continue to be revealed—to people in all realms of the nation; but they needed to know what to do with it. They needed prayer to be able to effectively navigate the data and respond with wisdom and all discernment so that the Lord’s will could be fully accomplished.

I believe the body of Christ is equipped to engage in such a prayer task.

However, there is something else that the people for whom we pray will need as well. They will need boldness.

Think about your own experience. Have you ever been in a situation in which you knew the right thing to do, but you didn’t do it? That’s something all of us have grappled with.

It’s my opinion that when Paul wrote to the Ephesians to pray for him that he “may speak boldly, as [he] ought to speak”, he had likely experienced the difference between his “ought to” and his “do” at some point. Most of us have experienced that, and this is one reason why I believe Paul so urgently requested prayer from his friends for boldness. He knew his own human frailties.

The people for whom you and I will pray in the days, weeks, and months to come will have an ongoing need to know what to do; they will need wisdom to envelope their “knowing”; and they will need boldness in order to step out in what they are directed to do. After all, they are human, just like you and me, and some of the things God will lead them to do will require courage beyond their human capacity. And you and I get to pray for that boldness to rise up within them so they can do what they know to do.

Listen for the promptings of the Holy Spirit; those for whom you pray will need to be girded up in His knowledge and wisdom, and they will also need boldness in order to step out. And as you pray for them, you can trust God to work it all out in them and for them.

Dorothy

Only be strong and very courageous. Joshua 1:7a