Speaking With Boldness
By: Paula Walker, Tampa, Florida
“Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel” (Eph 6:19).
Speaking with boldness has nothing to do with volume or tone. It can be accomplished in a quiet voice, in a private setting as well as in public. The courage to speak boldly may arise in us when we see someone being mistreated or when we ourselves feel threatened. I don’t know about you, but I am not a naturally bold, take-charge leader, but I can be motivated to become that person.
I remember my mother being bold to defend her children if one of us was being bullied in the neighborhood. I never went with her when she walked out the door to confront the problem or the problem person, but I imagined by the look on her face that she straightened out the situation.
When Paul was asking the Ephesians to pray for him to have boldness, it was because he was in a difficult situation. He was already imprisoned, and the magistrates could make his life even more miserable. They held the power of life or death over him. He needed to be bold, no matter what.
In Daniel 3:17, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, being warned by King Nebuchadnezzar that they must bow down and worship the golden image when they hear the music or be thrown into the fiery furnace, answered the King’s question “Whose god will deliver you from my hands?” Their answer: “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.”
In Mark 15:43, we are told that “Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.” He risked his status, his leadership, and the respect of his people.
Also, in Acts 4:13, Luke tells of the crowd’s reaction to the disciples on the Day of Pentecost: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” When charged not to speak about Jesus anymore, Peter and John answer, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego risked their lives when they boldly answered the king’s question. They refused to bow. No matter what.
Joseph of Arimathea requested the body of Jesus. No matter what.
Peter and John risked further persecution and imprisonment, but declared they had to speak of what they had seen and heard. No matter what.
But this boldness does not belong to men alone.
Esther risked her life to save her people: “And I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” (Esther 4:16). She could die, but she would go. No matter what.
In 1 Samuel 25, Abigail stopped David from destroying her family. She boldly, yet humbly, took it upon herself to make peace. She saved her family, kept David from shedding blood without a cause, and, unknowingly, secured her own future. She put her life on the line. No matter what.
What does it take to motivate us to speak boldly? Like my mother, I am willing to protect and defend my family. I can tolerate a lot, but there is a point when I must speak in defense of those I love. When the unity of the church is threatened by gossip and slander, I must speak in defense of God’s family. When God Himself is being ridiculed by unbelievers, I must speak. When schools try to educate my children with ungodly values, I must speak up and act - no matter what. We may think silence is golden, but silence isn’t bold. Speaking up, standing up, and prayerfully stepping up takes courage.
If God’s people aren’t willing to do that, who will? What is at stake for us? We’re not threatened like Shadrach, Nicodemus, Esther, are we? Are we going to lose our livelihood, our loved ones, our lives? Probably not.
I am the older woman of Titus 2 who is told to “teach what is good.” And here is what is good - “There is a time to speak and a time to be silent” (Ecc.3:7). The wisdom of age and experience should help us know when to let things go and when to speak up.
But I need to remember that in speaking boldly I can’t ignore Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath,” or 1 Peter 3:4 which tells me a gentle and quiet spirit may win someone who isn’t obedient to God.
My husband, Ralph, and I went to a very busy Walmart on a Saturday afternoon. As we pulled into the parking lot, we saw two men on the side of the building. They looked like they were reaching out to each other, holding hands, one with his head slightly bowed. I concluded they must have been praying. Ralph dropped me off at the door so I could get a head start with our shopping while he parked the car. As I entered the store, I saw some women with papers in their hands, going from person to person, trying to initiate a conversation with people as they entered. I overheard enough to understand they were trying to share the gospel. I asked them where they were from, and we had a brief spiritual discussion. I told them I was studying the topic of speaking boldly, to write this article, and they took that as their cue to pray for me right then and there. One woman raised her hand high in the air, placed one hand on my shoulder, and loudly prayed that God would give me boldness to speak in His name. Coincidence? Providence? I’m not sure. I don’t agree with their doctrines, but that day, they modeled what speaking boldly in Jesus’s name looks like.
I may not do what they were doing. But that doesn’t mean I won’t have opportunities to speak Jesus’s name boldly, even at the risk of being shunned, looked down upon, criticized, or laughed at.
Like Paul, I pray that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.
No Matter What.