The early church was a praying church, and the book of Acts is the story of answered prayer.
At nearly every significant turning point in the narrative of Acts, we find a mention of prayer. Prayer
is mentioned thirty-one times—in twenty of its twenty-eight chapters. [1]
THE PRAYERS OF ACTS
• 1:14 — The first response of the disciples after Jesus’s ascension was to gather in prayer as they
waited for the Spirit. Luke used a verb in this verse that stresses the intensity and energy with
which they prayed. He used the same verb in Acts 2:42 and 6:4.
• 1:24-26 — The apostles prayed for God’s direction before choosing Judas’s replacement.
• 2:42 — Prayer was one of four practices to which the first believers “devoted themselves,”
and was a foundational ingredient of early church life.
• 3:1 — Peter and John went to the temple at the time of prayer, setting the context for the first
miracle of healing in Acts.
• 4:24-31 — In response to threats, Peter and John prayed not for protection but for boldness to continue witnessing for
Christ—the very thing they had been ordered not to do. This is the longest recorded prayer in Acts and provides an example
of praying Scripture. Peter and John’s prayer quotes Psalm 2:1-2 and echoes Hezekiah’s prayer in Isaiah 37:16-20.
• 6:4 — The apostles devoted themselves to the work of “prayer and to the ministry of the word,” understanding these
two works go hand in hand. Prayer was not preparation for the work of ministry; prayer was the work.
• 6:6 — The apostles prayed over the seven men selected to serve the widows.
• 7:59 — Stephen prayed as he was being stoned to death.
• 8:15 — Peter and John prayed for the Samaritans. Many refer to this event as the “Samaritan
Pentecost.” It was a major step in the advancement of the mission (1:8).
• 9:11 — Saul of Tarsus prayed after his conversion.
• 9:40 — Peter prayed before he raised Dorcas from the dead.
• 10:1-4,30 — As Cornelius prayed, God spoke to him and told him to send for Peter.
Prayer was a factor in the advancement of the gospel to the Gentiles.
• 10:9; 11:5 — Peter was on a rooftop praying when God called him to be the answer to Cornelius’s prayers.
Prayer prepared Peter for his role in taking the gospel to the Gentiles.
• 12:5,12 — The church that met in John Mark’s house prayed for Peter’s release from prison.
The construction of verse 5 carries the idea of continuous or repeated prayer.
• 13:2-3 — As the church at Antioch was fasting and praying, the Holy Spirit told
them to set apart Barnabas and Saul for missionary work.
• 14:23 — Leaders for the newly-established churches were chosen through prayer.
• 16:13 — The first evangelistic activity and conversion in Europe took place at a “place of prayer” outside of Philippi.
• 16:16 — Paul and Silas were on their way to the place of prayer at Philippi when met by the slave girl “who had a
spirit by which she predicted the future.” This set up the events that led to the Philippian jailer’s conversion.
• 16:25 — In the Philippian jail, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God at midnight.
• 20:36 — Paul knelt and prayed with the elders of the Ephesian church before leaving them.
• 21:5 — The believers at Tyre prayed with Paul before sending him off to Jerusalem.
• 22:17 — Paul received direction from the Lord as he prayed in the temple after his conversion.
• 27:35 — Paul prayed before taking bread on board the boat that was shipwrecked.
• 28:8 — Paul prayed over a sick man in Malta, who was then healed.
THE MODEL
The book of Acts provides the model of what the church today ought to be praying for—and the manner in which
we ought to be praying.
Pray for what they prayed.
While the prayer meetings of the early church presumably included prayers for the sick and needy (Jas. 5:15), we see little of
that in Acts. What we see mostly is the church focused on the mission—and its prayers tied to the advancement of the gospel.
As we have seen, believers prayed for God’s direction as they made decisions related to the work of the church. They prayed for
boldness in their witness, and they prayed for imprisoned and persecuted believers. They prayed for church leaders and for the
missionaries who took the gospel to unevangelized peoples. They prayed for the new churches and for those who served the churches.
To follow the example set by the church in Acts is to focus our prayers more intensely on the advancement of the gospel,
the health of the church, and the spiritual battles before us— while not neglecting prayer for people’s physical needs.
(Compare Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:15-19; 3:14-21.)
Pray in the way they prayed.
The church in Acts also set the
example in way to pray:
• they prayed together;
• they prayed alone;
• they prayed in unity;
• they prayed fervently;
• they prayed with discipline;
• they prayed as a priority;
• they prayed continually;
• they prayed in faith;
• they prayed as they waited;
• they prayed on the move; and
• they prayed Scripture.
THE CHALLENGE
E. M. Bounds keenly observed that “we are continuously striving to create new methods, plans, and organizations to advance the
church. We are ever working to provide and stimulate growth and effectiveness for the gospel.” 2 The book of Acts, on the other
hand, challenges us to seek what only God can do. This is what prayer does—it opens the door to what God alone is able to do by
His power. Acts challenges the church today to see prayer as an indispensable means to achieve God’s ends.
The message of Acts is clear: something happens when God’s people pray.
[1] Ajith Fernando, NIV Application Commentary: Acts (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Press, 1998), 74.
[2] E. M. Bounds, E. M. Bounds on Prayer (New
Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 1997), 467.