The Life of Prayer

“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” (2 Thessalonians 3:1).

Have you ever heard someone describe a terrible situation and say, “There was nothing left to do but pray”? Talking like that, prayer seems like a weapon of last resort. But prayer is far more powerful than that.

Read 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5. As Paul peered into the future, he told the Thessalonians how the spirit of lawlessness will be unleashed globally (see 2:3-10). He foretold how the Antichrist will finally reveal himself after a period of deception. Then, he went on to instruct those of us who are living between the two comings of Christ about how we should live: We are to be men and women of prayer.

Paul beseeched the Thessalonians, “[P]ray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you” (v. 1). Paul is asking his friends to pray that the Word of God—the same Gospel Truth that transformed them, gave them peace with God, and granted them eternal life—would reach the ends of the earth and be accepted by those who hear it.
When I read these words from the apostle Paul as he declares his dependence on the Thessalonians’ prayers for him and for his ministry, I am more convinced of the power of prayer and the priority it must have.

For, if the Lord Jesus Christ regarded prayer and fellowship with the Father as essential to life and ministry, how much more should we? For Jesus, intimacy with the Father was like the air He breathed and the food He ate. In fact, in John 4:34, Jesus said, “My food . . . is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” No one ever says, “I ate last week, so I’m not going to eat today.” Until seeking the glory of Jesus becomes like the air we breathe and the food we eat, we will not experience the fullness of what God has for us in prayer.

If you are a believer in Christ, you have been called to be a prayer warrior in His army and a laborer in His field until He returns or calls you home. Your prayers are desperately needed today, especially as the end of history draws near. Even now, God longs to empower your prayers so that His Word might spread around the world. So seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and just watch what He will do!

Prayer: Father, forgive me for taking this precious gift of fellowship with You for granted. I pray now for the lost in need of Your Gospel. Grant people the ears to hear and eyes to see Your goodness and their need for salvation. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.