Acts 4:23-31

In the face of the threat to their movement, the church went into a deep time of prayer. Their response in prayer is not the natural reaction you might expect. They didn't pray for retaliation and they didn't complain. Instead they prayed for boldness. Praying for boldness in the face of opposition shows us what the early church knew about God.

God is not small

Our God is the creator of all things. He is the master of the universe and we are His servants

Our God is not scared

The Psalm the church quoted was Psalm 2. It speaks of Jesus not being opposed and God not being worried in the face of opposition. Any threat against Him is menial and laughable.

Our God is not surprised

God knows the entire timeline of this world. He predestined those who He knew would become His followers. He planned this attack against the church, as He planned out all things. He ordained us to carry out His good work in the world and holds us responsible for that.

His sovereignty is compatible with our responsibility, we are responsible because He guides us to be.

Also, God is sovereign over our suffering. So we can trust He will work good out of it.

When facing trials, remember that God is immesurable more than we can ever imagine, and He is on our side.