Dave's Diary

Prayer

Before you read, I invite you to pray this prayer based on Psalm 119:94-96

Save me, for I am Yours! The wicked wait to destroy me, but I will ponder Your statutes,
and Your perfect commands, for by them You preserve my life. Amen.

Briefly prepare your heart in silence, and ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your awareness to the voice of God, coming to you through His Word.

Reading

Matthew 10:17-20 

As Jesus sent His apostles out on their mission to proclaim and demonstrate the Good News of His Kingdom, He warned them honestly about the potential persecution they would face on such missions in future. He also forewarned them that, as part of their persecution, they would stand trial before some very powerful people. And, in that context, He gave them this stunning promise:

“At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.“

One example of this promise being fulfilled in later years is when Peter and John were hauled before the Sanhedrin in Acts 3 and 4. In their defence, they spoke with such clarity and conviction that Acts 4:13 says:

¹³ When (the Sanhedrin) saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 

Peter and John had not spoken in their own wisdom or strength. They had spoken in step with the Holy Spirit; and the rich and powerful were astounded at their excellence!

Today, we need to hear the same promise. If we bear faithful witness to the Truth, we may very well also have to given an account of our words to people who hold more influence and power than we do. We might be inclined to feel very anxious about this. And that is why we need to hear the command Jesus gave them, and still gives us today:

¹⁹ But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it.

Notice that Jesus does not imply that we won’t feel anxious or even afraid in situations like these. But He commands us not to worry about what to say or how to say it, because the Holy Spirit will guide us. This is an invitation to trust the Holy Spirit to guide us and to speak through us.

This doesn’t mean that we don’t prepare our hearts and minds well for situations where we will need to give a defence of the Gospel. But it does mean that once we have prepared, we rest in the promises of Jesus and trust in the direction of the Holy Spirit.

I need to remind myself (and I’m bold enough to suggest that you probably also need this reminder) not to worry about what to say, but rather to trust the Holy Spirit.

Contemplation

Please take time to ponder what Jesus has commanded us. Turn these declarations over in your mind. Keep them in mind throughout the day and live in step with Your King, Jesus.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ: 

• I will be ready to tell others the Good News;
• I will choose not to allow myself to worry about what to say or how to say it;
• I will follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance as I speak.

Lord Jesus, I trust in You! In every situation I will face today, please show me what to say and how to say it; and also what not to say, and how not to say it. Amen.

P.S. Long-standing, state-sponsored persecution of Christians in Iran is well documented. According to believers on the ground in Iran, because the authorities think of the USA as a “christian country” (which is patently untrue) the current conflict has simply given them even more motivation to persecute Iranian believers. Please pray for our Iranian sisters and brothers-in-Christ to be protected and to stay faithful in the face of persecution!