And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: -- Acts 4:24 (KJV)
Peter and John return to their own company and report what the chief priests and elders said. The believers hear the threats together. Together they turn to the God who made the world in which those rulers hold office.
The Rulers in the Psalm
They remember what God spoke through David. Psalm 2 begins, "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?" Kings and rulers take counsel against the LORD and His anointed. Yet God declares, "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion."
In Acts, the praying church names Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel. They had gathered against God's "holy child Jesus." The believers have seen the opposition the psalm describes. They have also seen that opposition fail to defeat God's purpose concerning Christ.
Their prayer says those enemies did "whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done." They are speaking about Jesus and the events surrounding His death. We must not stretch their confession into a claim that God required someone's abuse or that grieving a loss betrays Him. This passage gives us no authority to tell a wounded person why every hurt occurred.
A Company at Prayer
The church asks God to behold the threats, grant boldness, and work through Jesus' name. When they finish praying, the place shakes. God fills the company with the Holy Ghost, and they speak with boldness. Luke records God's answer in what happens to the gathered believers as well as the place where they stand.
A threatening message can occupy your thoughts long after you put the phone down. You rehearse the words while washing a cup or trying to sleep. Bring the actual words to God. You can also ask a trusted believer to pray beside you, as Peter and John returned to their company.
Who could join you in that prayer today? Begin with the Creator, then tell Him what you fear.
Psalm 2 ends, "Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." That invitation remains open while the rulers rage.
