We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring… God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels… With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 1:3-12
Most of us base our actions on what we know.
We decide to grab an umbrella or rain coat based on a weather forecast or a glance out the window.
News of a big sale sends us to the mall to get in on some good discounts at our favorite shop.
We make a special effort to speak kind words to a friend we know is struggling.
Everything we do, including prayer, is based on observation and information.
So how does what we know affect what we say in prayer?
What should we have in mind about God and the people we pray for?
As we look at 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 we find that it is a great guide for what to think about when we intercede for others.
When Paul thought about his Christian friends in the city of
- Their circumstances
- God's power
Those faithful believers were going through the fire of persecution, but Paul knew that God would bring them justice and relief when Jesus returned—which he believed could be soon.
What he knew gave structure and power to his prayer: "With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).
Pray based on the information that has been conveyed to you believing in God's power to answer the prayers you are bringing before Him on your behalf or on the behalf of others.
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