A Praying People

On Palm Sunday, Pastor Harlow preached from Acts 4:23–31 on the prayer of the early church following Peter and John’s release by the Jewish authorities. The congregation gathered, reported what had happened, and lifted their voices together to the Sovereign Lord, their prayer shaped at every point by the words of Psalm 146, Psalm 2, and Isaiah’s Servant Songs. Their petition was not for safety but for continued boldness to speak God’s word, and they received it: the place shook, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 4 gives the church a vision of prayer that is grounded in Scripture, oriented toward God’s glory, and met with his faithful response.