When You Can't Run Away...

Acts 16
By Tim Hallman


What can you do with the people in your life who drag you down, who depress you, who despise you, who undermine your efforts to succeed, who resist you, who seem to suck the life out of you?

One strategy is to get away from them. But what if you can't, what if you're stuck around people with toxic attitudes? What if they are your family? What if they are fellow coworkers? Classmates? "Friends"?

There's a fascinating prayer that the early disciples often worked their way through - here's part of it: "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." In one particular instance - after a tense encounter with the religious authorities of the city - here is what happened: After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:29-31)

Notice the theme of the prayer: for those that are threatening us - God enable us to speak into them with courage and truth, work through us to bring healing to those that threaten us, if necessary perform signs and wonders to those who threaten us that they may have a change of heart. God answered that prayer again and again and again, as recorded in the stories of the Acts of the Apostles. And he still does that kind of stuff today. If you want him to...

On one occasion, Paul and his ministry partner Silas were in the Roman colony of Phillipi. They had begun a small church there. While walking the market streets, a fortune-telling girl started harrassing them. When ignoring her didn't work, Paul spun around and cast the demon out of her. This made the owners of the slave-girl furious. A riot ensued, and Paul and Silas ended up in jail. But notice what they did: they brought healing to the girl who threatened them. Signs and wonders were brought to bear on this enslaved fortune-telling girl - for her freedom and the honor of the Lord.

A jailer was given command to watch Paul and Silas closely - these beaten, flogged prisoners were to be put in stocks. Around midnight an earthquake struck the jail, resulting in all the prisoners being free to flee. Except that Paul and Silas urged all the inmates to stay (they knew that the escaped prisoners would be caught and killed, and the jailer would be executed as well). The prisoners stayed, and the jailer was stunned. Through these signs and wonders, the jailer who had oppressed Paul and Silas became a disciple of Jesus. Paul and Silas cared about their oppressor, and healing, and baptism, and rejoicing was the result.


Who are the people who are very hard to deal with in your life?

Who are some people that seem to only make it harder for you to move forward in your life?

Who are some people in your life that think, say, and do evil with little or no remorse?

Who are some people that seem to threaten what you value?

What's your response to them when you can't get away? Join the early disciples in their prayer for those that are a threat to what is good and right and true: "Now, LORD, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."


And as you pray this again and again - keep in mind your willingness for the LORD to use you to help answer those prayers.