We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and 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 1:3-12

Why Pray?

  • A conversation with God, to cultivate our relationship with Him
  • To build up others

How Should We Pray?

Paul prays with purpose ("with this in mind..."); he has in mind the future, the vision of the Biblical story.

  • "that our God may make you worthy of his calling"
  • "that... [God] may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith."

Paul assumes that Christians, transformed by the Gospel, have new values and desires. It's not just about praying for our immediate, temporal needs, but also praying with God's purposes in mind.

The Ultimate Goal and Basis of Prayer

"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." vs 12

The ultimate goal is glory for and from Jesus. The basis of Paul's prayer is God's grace in Jesus. The Christian life isn't about trying harder, but transformation through God.

What Do We Learn From Paul's Prayer?

"...in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God..." Philippians 4:6

  • Examine yourself and ask, "What do I desire?"
  • How does your desire relate to God's purposes and priorities?
  • Pray to build up others, all for the glory of God, all by the grace of God.
Questions for Small Groups
  1. What is prayer? And why do you think it is such a universal practice found across different cultures and religions? What do you think this universality says about human beings and the world around them?
  2. In 2 Thessalonians 1:11, Paul prays “with this in mind”—referring to his comments in vv. 5-10 about God’s final judgment at the return of Christ. What do you think makes Christian prayer distinct from the prayers found in other religions?
  3. Read 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12. Paul shares his prayer to God with the Thessalonians, who are being persecuted (v. 4). How do you think the Thessalonians would receive Paul’s prayer? Can you share a time when someone’s prayer had a significant impact on you?

Missed this Sunday's sermon? Watch it here!

 

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