| In
class last Sunday 2/22/09, we examined 15 prayers Paul prayed for the
Christians in Thessalonica. They're spread all through his two letters
to the church in that city. These were not prayers Paul proposed that
Christians pray for ourselves (although we certainly could), but prayers
to be prayed for each other.
So we asked in class that each
of you choose three of the 15 that you'd really appreciate
someone praying for you right now. We promised to compile what you chose.
Here
are the results (numbers in red).
The Apostle Paul’s prayers in the final chapter of 2 Thessalonians:
a) May the Lord strengthen you and guard you against
the evil one (does that remind you of something in the prayer Jesus
taught us to pray?). 17
b) May God direct your hearts to a full understanding
of God’s love (a prayer for God to keep pointing your mind toward
the most important thing). 9
c) May God direct your hearts to the steadfastness of
Christ (a prayer that God will keep pointing your mind toward the
surest foundation). 5
d) May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all
times in every way (imagine if we prayed that persistently for each
other … and God answered). 18
e) May the Lord be with you (a prayer for his day-by-day
presence). 6
Paul’s prayers found in previous chapters of the Thessalonian
letters:
f) May the Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father
comfort your hearts and establish you in what you do and what you say
(Wow!). 17
g) May God make you worthy of his calling (is there
anything else that really matters?). 8
h) May God by His power fulfill every good purpose of
yours and every act prompted by your faith (two things that together
would transform how we live). 8
i) May God supply what is lacking in your faith (most
of us long for this). 18
j) May the Lord Jesus be glorified [displayed] in you,
according to His grace. 18
k) May the Lord make you increase and abound in love
for one another … as well as for others. 14
l) May He establish your hearts blameless in holiness
before God the Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus (a prayer that
you will have no reason to fear the final judgment). 7
m) May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely.
5
n) May your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus (a prayer that when the roll is called
up yonder, you’ll be there — the whole you). 8
o) May the grace of our Lord Jesus be alongside you
(as essential for living as anything there is). 8
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