Acts 20:36

Saturday, 7 October 2023

And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. Acts 20:36

The words are more literally rendered, “And having said these things, having bowed his knees, he prayed with them all” (CG).

In the previous verse, Paul reminded those with him as to why he worked providing for himself and others, quoting the Lord about it being more blessed to give than receive. With that, his words of encouragement and admonishment are done. Therefore, it next says, “And having said these things.”

It is Luke’s way of noting that the words of Paul are complete and that a new action or direction is forthcoming. For Paul, the next logical thing to do is to commit those he loved to the Lord. And so, it next says, “having bowed his knees.”

A bowed or even prostrate position indicates humility, be it before God or man. Once bowed, and it is assumed that the others bowed with him, it next says, “he prayed with them all.” The words of the prayer are left out of the narrative. They were spoken for the moment, were private, and were obviously not intended as a prayer to be used repetitively in the future.

Paul felt it was right to close in prayer. Likewise, when our heart is full, we should simply let our prayers come out in a manner appropriate to the situation.

Life application: Prayer is mentioned throughout the Bible. There are many types of prayer as well, such as supplication, praise, petition, vindication, triumph, imprecation, etc. Each has its own place. One of the things about prayer is that there is no set manner in which it is to be accomplished, but they are to be made.

It is not uncommon for people to pray for extended periods of time and to begin to question whether their prayers are even heard. Someone may say, “I prayed for my neighbor’s cancer for three years, and he died anyway. What is the point if the prayer isn’t heard.”

If the person who is praying is a believer, the prayers are heard. Jesus is our Mediator to bring them before God. It is God’s right to respond according to His wisdom. If He answered every prayer brought before Him in the way we wanted, there would be chaos. We are to have faith that God has received our prayers and that He will bring about the best end for all things presented before him.

Paul says to pray without ceasing. Lift up your burdens, joys, cares, etc., to the throne of God. Have faith that He is working according to a plan we cannot even imagine, and it will come to the best end for His people. Pray!

Heavenly Father, we know that because of Jesus, we have a right to come before You in prayer, boldly asking for those things that are upon our hearts. But we also know that what we want may not be the best avenue or result in the best outcome. So, Lord God, we commit our prayers to You and thank You that You are handling each with a wisdom that we cannot even comprehend. How great You are, O God. Amen.