[Power of the Word] Paul's Peculiar Prayer Request
Daniel Brady
“…and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” --Ephesians 6:19-20
I find Paul’s prayer request to be quite interesting. He asks the Ephesian church to pray for boldness (on his part) in preaching the gospel. For Paul, of all people, to make this prayer request seems peculiar. For had he ever been timid or afraid in preaching the gospel? From what we read of his life and ministry in the book of Acts, the answer is no.
Throughout his entire Christian life, Paul was always eager to preach the gospel, never backing down, even in the face of persecution and eminent danger. For example, Acts 19 gives us the account of Paul was in Ephesus, establishing the church he is now writing to. In opposition to Paul’s preaching, those who worshiped the goddess, Artemis, stirred up a riot within the city, dragging away two of Paul’s companions (presumably to kill them). Verse 30 says that Paul wanted to go into the crowd, most likely to assist his friends, and perhaps also to further preach the gospel. However, the other Christians he was with would not permit him. They probably had to physically restrain him to keep him out of danger.
Then in Acts 21, beginning with verse 8, we find Paul in Caesarea, on his way to Jerusalem. There, it is prophesied that when Paul arrives in Jerusalem, he will be bound hand and foot and handed over to the Gentiles. Upon hearing this prophecy, many of the believers in Caesarea begged and pleaded with Paul not to go to Jerusalem (verse 12). They were concerned for his safety. In response to their urging, however, Paul said, “I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (verse 13).
Given Paul’s consistent boldness in preaching the gospel, why, now at the end of his life, does he pray and ask others to pray for boldness in his continuing to preach? Yes, Paul was in prison. But he’d been imprisoned before. Yes, Paul was facing death. But he had faced death several times before. And, as we see in Acts 21, he was prepared to die for the sake of the gospel. So why does he pray for boldness now? Is he afraid or concerned that he will lose his boldness as he faces execution in Rome?
To some degree, even if the slightest, the answer must be yes. It may be hard for us to imagine that, after all he had been through, Paul would ever lose his zeal. However, Paul understood that the boldness he’d always had came from the Lord. It was not his own.
In Philippians 4:13, he wrote, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” As Christians, we often tend to emphasize the first half of this statement, encouraging ourselves and each other to not shy away from anything God has called us to. For with God, “I can do all things.” However, Paul understood that the first half of this verse would not be true without the second half. The strength to serve God comes from God. And it must continually come from God.
God never gave Paul a one-time shot of boldness that was to sustain him for the rest of his life. Paul had to daily depend on God for the strength and boldness to preach the gospel in the face of adversity. And I would imagine that this was not always easy. But somehow, by the grace of God, Paul always had the wherewithal to rely on God and find the boldness to carry out his mission. And now, at the end of his life, as his death becomes truly eminent, he prays for boldness one more time. He seeks the boldness he needs to finish strong.
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