Pray for Us

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE THESSALONIANS

PRAY FOR US

1 Thess 5:25-28

25 Brothers, pray for us. 26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

NIV

There doesn’t seem to be much to be said about the conclusion, or Paul’s closing statement, except to consider that he is asking for prayer, and making sure we greet other believers with a holy kiss, and to read his letter. Certainly, we would never refuse to pray for anyone who asks for prayer. Paul has revealed in some sense his condition or his circumstances throughout this letter and so he always seeks prayer. When we think of Paul we usually think of how strong of a man he was, how much power his conversion was, and how much he did for the kingdom. However, Paul also has shown us to consider how weak we are and how strong the Lord is. When we are weak, He is strong. Paul knows that and he demonstrates his dependence on the Lord by always asking for prayer. So we should not shy away from either praying for those we ask or to ask for prayer for our own service to the kingdom. We need to see just how weak we are so as to not consider relying on our own abilities and look to the Lord for the strength to do the work of the ministry he has called us to do. Jesus has told us that apart from him, we can do nothing, which means in Him we can do that which he has called us to do. The core issue is knowing what he has called us to do for if we are trying to do something we have not been called to do then do we have the right to expect him to give us the strength to do it. If we are doing that which we want to do, even for the kingdom, it would seem our motive may be in the wrong place. Maybe we think that our secular ability is that which God wants to use us for His kingdom, but then how does he get the glory for our service to the kingdom. When we look at the disciples, it sure seemed that Jesus took some simple uneducated fishermen and turned them into powerful men of God. True they became fishers of men, but that was just an expression, for they were not in boats using nets to fish for men, but they were using the power of God to do miracles, heal the sick, and preach the good news. We look at Peter, filled with the Spirit, standing up in a crowd and preaching with so much power thousands came to know Jesus that day. Certainly, if God can transform a simple fisherman into that kind of man, he can transform us into whatever he desires to use us for. That is why we need the prayers of others, so we can be used in a mighty way for the kingdom of God. Our cry should be, and is, brothers, pray for us.