“Never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT)
”So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:16 NLT)
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:24 NKJV)
As we read this again let’s come into agreement for the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to us that will deepen our prayer lives…
…“We feel a personal responsibility to continually be thanking God for you, our spiritual family, every time we pray. And we have every reason to do so because your faith is growing marvelously beyond measure. The unselfish love each of you share for one another is increasing and overflowing! We point to you as an example of unwavering faith for all the churches of God. We boast about how you continue to demonstrate unflinching endurance through all the persecutions and painful trials you are experiencing. All of this proves that God’s judgment is always perfect and is intended to make you worthy of inheriting the kingdom of God, which is why you are going through these troubles.
It is right and just for God to trouble your troublers and give rest to the troubled, both to you and to us, at the unveiling of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his messengers of power within a flame of fire. He will bring perfect and full justice to those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to embrace the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, banished from the Lord’s presence and from the manifestation of his glorious power. This will happen on that day when he glorifies his holy ones, and they will be marveled at in all those who believed—including you, since in fact, you believed our message.
With this in mind, we constantly pray that our God will empower you to live worthy of all that he has invited you to experience. And we pray that by his power all the pleasures of goodness and all works inspired by faith would fill you completely. By doing this the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you will be glorified in him, by the marvelous grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 TPT)
Let’s get started on Step 1…
…Step 1: Probe the prayer under the light of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s begin with verse 3…
…“We feel a personal responsibility to continually be thanking God for you, our spiritual family, every time we pray. And we have every reason to do so because your faith is growing marvelously beyond measure. The unselfish love each of you share for one another is increasing and overflowing!”
Paul was driven to pray for the believers in Thessalonica by his deep feeling of responsibility for them. He felt a “personal responsibility” to pray. Other versions use wording such as “ought to,” “can’t help but,” “obligated to,” and “bound to,” to describe Paul’s compulsion to pray for these people. Look at how this is expressed in the Amplified Bible…
… “We ought always and indeed are morally obligated [as those in debt] to give thanks to God for you…”
This gives me reason to stop and ask myself…
…Is my prayer life as it relates to my brothers and sisters in Christ such a driving force in my life that I am compelled to pray for them?
Notice also that Paul starts his prayer from a continual state of thankfulness to God toward those for whom he is praying. I am again stopping to ask myself…
…As I get ready to pray for others do I take time to think of the ways in which I am thankful for them?
Paul revealed his motivation for his approach to praying. He was compelled to give thanks for them to God in prayer based on two things he observed in their lives. First, because their “faith is growing marvelously beyond measure.” Second, because “The unselfish love each of you share for one another is increasing and overflowing.”
Faith is foundational in a believer’s life. When I look at the lives of my kids and grandkids and see areas in which they are demonstrating faith it thrills me. Knowing that faith pleases God, I am also pleased when I observe it in those that I care about.
Love is the very essence of God. Jesus said that love for one another is the primary evidence of being his disciple. Love that is patterned after our heavenly Father is highly active and visible. This kind of love can be easily seen in the actions taken in relating to those around us.
Observing ever increasing faith and love in someone makes it easy to pray for them. It fills the person praying with confidence that the prayers will be effective as the recipient of the prayer is in a good position to receive. Faith and love tear down barriers that hinder prayer.
The last thing that I want to point out is that Paul’s prayer is flowing out of a deep sense of care and responsibility for these believers. His drive to pray for them was far deeper than a surface level desire. He was obligated to pray. He had no choice. He was so moved by his thankfulness for them that he was continually compelled to pray. His example once again compels me to search my own prayer life. I can’t help but ask myself…
…Do I continually thank God for anyone in my life?
…Do I have anyone in my life that I am so driven by thanksgiving for them that I am compelled to pray?
Ask yourself these questions as you consider…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 491: Praying With Paul – 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12: Part 2