Shaking The Place

When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness. Acts 4:31

I guess I could simply ask, “Do you have a prayer life that shakes places?” I don’t. The problem with that is not that I do not have a prayer life that shakes, nor even stirs on the typical day. No, the real problem is most of the time I do not even desire that kind of a prayer life. On those rare occasions when I desire it I fail to pursue it. You might say I do not want a “shake the place” prayer life so much as I like the idea of that kind of a prayer life.

The praying that went on in this passage was a heartfelt desire, a “beseech” you kind of request. I would say it is a “begging” kind of prayer. I do not mean that negatively. The place of that prayer is not important. They were “gathered together” or “with one another”. The result of that prayer is the outrageous part.

The place was “shaken”. I looked up the word shaken used here. It means “a motion made by winds, waves and storms” or “shaking something’s contents” or to “overthrow”. Pick your favorite but in each case you will find that the point of “shaken” is that a power beyond our selves kicks in and we are no longer in control.

This kind of prayer is begging God with all our heart until we pray beyond our control. I’m ready for more than the idea of that kind of a prayer life. How about you?