When In Trouble, Pray! by Jim Cymbala

Have you ever noticed that Jesus launched the Christian church, not while
someone was preaching, but while people were praying? In the first two chapters
of Acts, the disciples were doing nothing but waiting on God. As they were just
sitting there . . . worshiping, communing with God, letting Him shape them and
cleanse their spirits and do those heart operations that only the Holy Spirit
can do . . . the church was born. The Holy Spirit was poured out.

What does it say about our churches today that God birthed the church in a
prayer meeting, and prayer meetings today are almost extinct?

Am I the only one who gets embarrassed when religious leaders in America talk
about having prayer in public schools? We don’t have even that much prayer in
many churches! Out of humility, you would think we would keep quiet on that
particular subject until we practice what we preach in our own congregations

I am sure that the Roman emperors didn’t have prayer to God in their schools.
But then, the early Christians did not seem to care what Caligula or Claudius or
Nero did. How could any emperor stop God? How, in fact, could the demons of hell
make headway when God’s people prayed and called upon His name? Impossible!

In the New Testament we don’t see Peter or John wringing their hands and
saying, “Oh, what are we going to do? Caligula is bisexual . . . he wants to
appoint his horse to the Roman Senate . . . what a terrible model of
leadership! How are we going to respond to this outrage?”

Let’s not play games or divert attention away from the weak prayer life of
our own churches. In Acts 4, when the apostles were unjustly arrested,
imprisoned, and threatened, they didn’t call for a protest; they didn’t
reach for some political leverage. Instead, they headed to a prayer meeting.
Soon the place was vibrating with the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:23-31).

The apostles had this instinct: When in trouble, pray. When intimidated, pray.
When challenged, pray. When persecuted, pray!



Jim Cymbala began Brooklyn Tabernacle with less than twenty members in a small,
rundown building in a difficult part of the city. A native of Brooklyn, he is a
longtime friend of both David and Gary Wilkerson and a frequent speaker at the
Expect Church Leadership Conferences sponsored by World Challenge throughout
the world.