A WAY TO PRAY
2 Thessalonians 3:1-3 NKJV
1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.
3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.
As Paul is closing out his letter to the Thessalonians, he asks for prayer. But Paul is not asking for personal blessings; he is still focused on mission. The way Paul directs prayer in these verses is a great way to pray for our church and for our area.
Pray for us that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified. Paul was the type of guy who would request prayer only if he believed it was important. He did not appear to be a man who said things he did not mean or encourage people to waste time. Paul wrote to the Ephesian church to redeem or make good use of the time because the days were evil (Ephesians 5:16). So, by Paul asking for a specific prayer, we can determine that this kind of praying is both important and effective.
I was not quite sure what it meant for the word to run swiftly. The Wuest translation says that the word would be spreading rapidly, and other translations seem to indicate the same thing. This is a good prayer for the church and for our area. That God's Word would spread rapidly and be glorified. So, not only are we looking for God's Word to spread but for God's Word to be treated with the honor, reverence, and respect it deserves.
The biggest thing on Paul's heart was that God's Word would spread and be glorified. That was his priority. Then, he gets to a more personal request. That's a good format for us to follow. Praying about the things that concern God's Kingdom and its advancement, then pray about our personal needs. Jesus gave us a similar pattern in what has been called the Lord's Prayer. He prayed for God's Kingdom to come and God's will to be done before praying give us this day our daily bread.
Then Paul prays for deliverance from unreasonable and wicked men. If you are thinking that you are surrounded by unreasonable people, this may be a little different. Unreasonable can mean improper and wrong in their conduct. Okay, so you still may be surrounded by unreasonable people, but hopefully, they are not evil. Paul had constant problems with wrong-headed, evil people who had no faith in God.
So pray for God's Word to spread and be treated with honor and respect. And for God to deliver us from crazy people. That would be my translation, but you get the point. It was not simply Satan who caused problems for Paul. It was bad people with no faith in God.
But thank God that He is so faithful. He is worthy of faith, trust, and confidence. We can depend on Him, and He will strengthen us and protect us from the evil one. And that is a great way to end the prayer. With thanksgiving to God who strengthens and protects us.
APPLICATION
We can take this prayer and pray it for our church and our communities. We can ask the Lord to deliver us from people with wrong motives and evil intentions. And we can thank God for His dependability in giving us strength and protecting us from Satan. This is a great way to pray. So before you close down this devotional, pray this prayer for your church and for your area.