A PRAYER FOR 2004
“To this end also we pray for you always that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, in order 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” II Thessalonians 1:11, 12
What better way to introduce the new year than with prayer. I don’t think that anyone can fully grasp the importance of prayer – and what can be accomplished by prayer.
• Prayer is the golden key that can open the wicket of mercy.
• Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscles of omnipotence.
• Prayer moves the hand that moves the universe.
We can learn a lot about a man by the way he prays: his perception of God, of life, of what is really important to him. We can learn a lot about Paul by the prayers recorded in his letters. The prayer in II Thessalonians1:11, 12 comes at the end of a section dealing with prophecy – and events that touched the lives of the Thessalonians.
Paul’s prayer
concerns for constructive living (v.11)
That God would promote in them a walk worthy of their calling vs 11a - Of course we can never earn worthiness before God, Nor will God withdraw His calling from us if we do not measure up to it. God by His sovereign grace calls us into His eternal plan (Romans 8:28-30; I Thessalonins1:4). The calling of God is irrevocable (Romans 11:29). However, He prepares and shapes us in time for eternity (I Peter 1:6, 7). My Hebrew language professor assigned an “A” to every student in class before the beginning of the semester. The grade was irrevocable. He taught and we studied the Hebrew language with great incentive. At the end of the semester he counted us worthy of the pre-assigned “A”.
Worthy - “to balance out or bring to an equal weight” (Ephesians 4:1). It is in the arena of life that God harmonizes what we actually are with what we are in our position of perfection. There are great demands made upon the believer by virtue of our high calling and privileges but there is always the ability of grace to meet those demands.
That God would fulfill in them a life characterized by goodness vs. 11b - That God would enable them to obey every impulse to do good. Now we know that we cannot, in and of ourselves, resolve and fulfill goodness that is acceptable to God (Romans 7:18). So if there is to be any resolve to do good of the quality that God can smile upon, it must be in connection with Him (Matthew 19:17). God must promote the resolve and the fulfillment of it (Philippians 2:12,13; Acts 10:38; Galatians 5:22; Romans 12:19-21) - the principal of returning good for evil (Acts 11:24). As God is good and does good, Paul prays that He would instill that same desire in the believers and fulfill it. In this way God is working out the character in us that is worthy of our calling.
That God would empower them in meaningful Christian service - v. 11b
Faith is never viewed as a passive philosophy but as an active use of the power of God in fruitful service (I Thessalonians 1:3,8, 9; II Thessalonians 1:3). Their faith was enlarged through works within both the community of unbelievers and believers (Romans 12:3-8). In this prayer is the thought that God would empower their service for Him and that He would do a work through them and use them to do it (Hebrews 13:20, 21).
He states the results of constructive living (v.12) “in order that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him.”
The
motive behind anything that God does is to bring glory and honor to His
name. We are to take care of His
reputation - and He will take care of ours.
When we give an accurate representation of Him to the world, we bring
glory to His name. Our association with
Him, our living head will bring honor to us - both now and in glory (I Peter 4:14; Matthew 10:32).
He reveals the source that makes constructive living possible (v.12). The grace of God is the only principal that can bring about constructive living.
• We learn what God considers to be of the most importance in prayer.
• We can evaluate our own personal prayers in light of this prayer.
• Nowhere is the grace of God more demonstrated in our life than in answered prayer.
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND GOD BLESS. I’m praying for you