When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them” (Acts 4:24).

Often, when I read the news, I think, “The world is such a mess.” How about you?

Each day we are confronted with any number of disturbing news stories. There are stories of wars, oppression, corruption, and natural disasters. How do these make you feel? Do you find yourself angry? Or afraid? Or maybe even indifferent? 

These feelings demonstrate that we are, perhaps, “hungry” for something better, but may feel too weak to do anything about it. Hunger can do that. It can cause us to feel weak or empty. 

But in our weakness, God is strong. He invites us to hunger for Him, to hunger for Him in prayer.

The early church demonstrated their hunger for God in how they faced the trials in their world. They encountered horrible persecution ranging from threats, arrests - even death. We get a glimpse of this in the account we read in this chapter of Acts. The religious leaders are “greatly annoyed” that Peter and John are teaching people about Jesus (vs. 2). They threatened and warned them to stop teaching others about Jesus and His resurrection (vs. 18). This was no small thing.

However, we read next that when this community of believers heard about what had happened to Peter and John, they didn’t cower in fear. Instead, “they raised their voices together in prayer.”

They remembered God’s faithfulness in the past for strength in the present. Our Sovereign God is in control of all things, even when life feels out of control. They recounted how even King David had faced opposition. They hungered for God’s power over the oppression they were experiencing. They asked for what they needed to overcome their circumstances with faith in the mighty God - not in fear of what the worldly powers could do to them.

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). Where do you need to cling to the promises of Jesus and hunger for God to work mightily? Is it in your family, your community? Or maybe you have a burden for a people group far from where you live. Take a moment and raise your voice in prayer!