WHAT WAS PAUL’S PRAYER REQUEST?
2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 NKJV
1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.
Paul accomplished quite a lot during his lifetime. He wrote a major portion of the New Testament and started churches all over the known world. He is, without question, one of the top, if not the top, Christian leaders of all time. Of course, that list is exempting our Lord and Savior. But Paul was not enamored with his accomplishments. We can see his emphasis in his request for prayer from the Thessalonian church.
Pray for us. But the prayers were much more missional than personal. Pray for us that we are blessed. No. Pray for us that we will be accepted. Not quite. How about pray for us because we have really been going through some difficulties. Difficulties were always present with Paul, but that was not his first priority. Pray for us that the Word of the Lord would spread rapidly and be honored. Paul’s top prayer request is that God’s Word would spread and be treated with the honor and respect it deserved.
The Thessalonians had responded well to the Word of the Lord. In his first letter, Paul commended the church for receiving the Word of God as it truly was—the Word of God, not the word of men. And because of the receptivity of the Thessalonians, God’s Word was effectively working in their lives. And this is what Paul wanted to see continue. That the Word of God would spread rapidly and be honored.
Paul was serving the Lord with his life long before the idea of ministry as a career became common. So Paul was not praying to build his brand, become more famous, or have people treat him with the honor and respect he deserved. Paul did not see himself as a celebrity but as a servant. And Paul never referred to any minister as being a great man or an amazing preacher. The only superlatives Paul used for other ministers were faithful, fellow soldier, or servant. Paul was all about the mission, not the glory. So it is no surprise that Paul’s prayer request was for the Word of the Lord to spread rapidly. Paul knew that the gospel of Christ, the Word of the Lord, was the power of God to salvation to all who would believe.
Paul’s second request was asking the church to pray that he would be rescued or delivered from evil, bad people. Paul dealt with Jews who wanted to kill him and pagan leaders who were losing converts to the gospel Paul preached. This is why someone said that everywhere Paul went, he brought riot and revival. Paul did not seem too concerned that evil, wicked men did not like him. The evil, wicked people hindered his ability to preach and teach the gospel. Again, we see a missional motive to Paul’s requests.
APPLICATION
Here is a question to think about this week. If you could ask someone who you know is a godly person and effective as someone who seriously prays, to pray for you, what would be your requests? What would be on the top of the list? Is it a personal need? Or a request for a family member? Is it to be more effective as a witness for Jesus or for a greater personal communion with Him? These are good questions. Paul had a list. What’s on your list?