September 30
Isaiah 56-57
Psalm 107:23-32
Proverbs 24:3-4
2 Thessalonians 1
Interceding Prayers
“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that God may make you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may bring to fruition your every deed prompted by 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 NIV
Throughout Paul’s letters to the churches, he repeatedly tells them that he is praying for them. He prays for strength when they are being persecuted, boldness to share their faith, hope when they are suffering, and peace during times of difficulty. This is a common theme in his interactions with the believers in the early church. Paul knew that they could not serve the Lord and be successful in ministry on their own strength and power. He knew that they needed God’s help. Paul could not be in each of these churches all the time and even if he was present, he recognized that he does not have the power to help them. But what he could do for them was pray for God to indwell them and empower them to accomplish His purposes. His prayers were the best and most effective help he could give them.
I don’t think we do a very good job of praying for our fellow believers. We pray for them when they are sick or when they are hurting. We pray in times of crisis and difficulty, but do we pray for each other daily? Do we pray for the ministry of our fellow believers? Do we pray that God will embolden them and give them opportunities to share the gospel? Do we pray for their spiritual growth? Do we pray that God would use them to accomplish His purposes and that God would be glorified through their lives? This is what Paul is teaching us to do. He is leading by example and encouraging us to go before the throne of God on behalf of others. We need each other. This should be a part of our daily prayers for each other. How much more effective could each of us be if we had others praying for us daily that God would work mightily in our lives and that He would be glorified and exalted by our actions? Our prayers on their behalf might be the very thing that keeps them from falling to temptation or that gives them the boldness to share their faith with someone. It might be the thing that gives them the strength to keep pressing on even when life is hard. Prayer is the most effective tool we have to help each other. We do not have the power to help anyone, but we know the One who does, and we have access to the throne room of Heaven so we can boldly take our requests to God pleading with Him on their behalf. Instead of just praying in a crisis, let’s set aside time to pray for others the way Paul prayed for them and make this a part of our daily routine.
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