Prayer Partners

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
2 Thessalonians 3 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. (2 Thessalonians 3:1-5, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
The last few verses of the previous chapter record a simple yet powerful prayer offered by Paul on behalf of the Thessalonians: 

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17) 

Having told the Thessalonians what he is praying for in relation to them, Paul asks them to pray for him. What he asks is that the "message of the Lord" will "spread rapidly and be honored," as was the case among them (verse 1). Wherever Paul went he announced the good news of Jesus. This was "the message of the Lord"—the message both from the Lord and about the Lord. And Paul longed that this message might "spread rapidly," that it might make its way freely into people's hearts and lives, changing them and forming them into a holy and loving people who would bring God glory in the world. But often he must have felt as though, when he preached, the message of the Lord was being held back by strange and invisible forces. Certainly his experience at Athens, not long before the writing of the two letters of Thessalonica, must have seemed like that (Acts 17:16-21, 32-34).

 

What will break the hidden chains, and set the "message of the Lord" free to "spread rapidly and be honored"? The answer is simple: prayer. It must have seemed strange to the Thessalonians, who were brand-new Christians, that Paul, the great apostle through whom God was doing so many remarkable things, should need their prayers so that his work could prosper. But the God who inspires prayer by his Spirit, and attends to it in his love, is no respecter of persons. One day, when we stand before the Lord face-to-face, it will become clear just how much work for God's kingdom has been advanced and upheld by people who have given themselves in love and devotion to pray earnestly for the advancement of the gospel.

 

Paul requests prayer not only for the effectiveness of his preaching of the gospel. He also asks the Thessalonians to pray that he may escape the clutches of "wicked and evil people" (verse 2). Paul has his feet firmly planted on the ground—he is a realist who sees things as they really are. He never allows his celebration of God's love and power to blind him to the fact that wicked and evil forces are at work in the world. Those who have preached and lived the gospel for a while know only too well what Paul means. When God's light shines into places where darkness had allowed evil to flourish, it makes people nervous… then angry… then malicious. Not everyone believes the gospel when it is preached. Those who hear it but do not believe it may well resort to plotting violence against those who preach it. This happened to Paul much of the time, and he—like many preachers in our day and age—needed prayers for God's protection.

 

But notice, yet again, that behind the preaching and praying—the work in which apostles and churches share—stands the Lord himself, who remains "faithful" (verse 3). Here again is the paradox of Christian living: because the Lord is faithful and will guard us, therefore we pray that he will do so. This "formula" makes no sense to many people unfamiliar with prayer—it seems utterly illogical to them. But those who are well acquainted with prayer know that prayer has a power and sense which operate below and above logic. Our praying hearts, minds, and lives are put at the disposal of the living Lord, who remains sovereign, but who also longs for our collaboration in his work of strengthening the church and guarding it from evil.

 

Because of this, Paul once again turns to the church of Thessalonica and its needs. Because Paul is committed to praying for the church and because he knows that God is faithful (see Philippians 1:6), he is confident that the Thessalonians will continue to live in the way that he has taught them (verse 4). What they need, if they are to be able to sustain this way of life, is to have their hearts and their lives firmly rooted in the experience of "God's love and Christ's perseverance" (verse 5). Focus your hearts and minds on Jesus himself, Paul says, and as you meditate on his perseverance—his strength in the midst of suffering—something of that perseverance will be given to you. And as that happens, you will know God's love surrounding you and enabling you to live for his glory.

 

Christian living without prayer and meditation is impossible. Just as we need oxygen to remain alive, we need regular and sustained interaction with God. May we all learn the secrets of how the word of the Lord and the love of God can be set free to spread rapidly and bring glory to God in our individual lives and in his world at large.

 

 

POINT OF ACTION:

Pray for God's work in and through our church. Pray that the message of the Lord will sink deep into our hearts and minds so that we might know him better. Ask that God would set our hearts ablaze so that we might passionately pursue him and eagerly strive to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ask that God would empower us as his messengers to boldly proclaim the gospel among our family, friends, coworkers, and others. And pray that God might open the eyes of unbelievers all around us so that they might see the truth of Christ, embrace the gospel in faith, and experience the life that is truly life.

 

In our world today, many Christians face violent opposition and persecution because of their faith. They need our prayers. Seek to learn more about the church outside of America. Google "persecuted church" to learn of the many ways you can pray for Christians encountering the forces of darkness. Visit Voice of the Martyrs and sign up to receive their weekly prayer updates so that you can pray for specific individuals and churches in need of God's protection. Commit to praying regularly for Yesupadam and Love-n-Care Ministries. Pray for Pastor Nehemiah and his family, who minister among the sometimes violent tribal people of Narasinga Puram (PRF provided the money to build their church building). Begin now praying for Hailey Bland—she is in the process of preparing herself and a team of missionaries to go to Western China, where they will proclaim the message of the gospel to the Tajik people.

 

 

WHO AM I?

I am Tres Sansom, and I am gearing up to eat my body weight in food tomorrow. Turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, squash casserole, rolls, pecan pie, chocolate delight. I am sooooo thankful for good food and family fellowship!