2 Thessalonians 1 (5)

Pray Psalm 149.1-4.
Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
And His praise in the assembly of saints.
Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
Let them praise His name with the dance;
Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.
For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the humble with salvation.

Read 2 Thessalonians 1.11.

Reflect.
1. How does Paul teach us to pray for our fellow believers?

2. What calling does Paul have in mind here (cf. 1 Thess. 2.12)? Do you acknowledge this as your calling?

Meditate.
More lessons from Paul on how to pray for our fellow believers, beginning with always.We get the sense from Paul’s instruction (1 Thess. 5.16-18; Phil. 4.6, 7) that prayer should be an ongoing part of our lives, like breathing. Can we really pray without ceasing and always be in prayer with the Lord? Evidently we can, for even Jesus instructed us to do so (Lk. 18.1).

Each of us will learn to do this differently, of course. And praying always and without ceasing won’t always find us talking to the Lord. Much of the time we’ll simply be listening or alert to prompts that might lead us to give thanks for a kindness received, intercede for a friend or activity, sing a chorus of praise, or praise the Lord for some sudden delight. What we want is for prayer to become an atmosphere or environment for us, so that, while we’re always in it, we’re not always engaged in it in quite the same way.

We note three specific petitions Paul made for the Thessalonians. First, that, in the eyes of the Lord, they would be seen to be a people who were living worthy of their calling to the Kingdom and glory of God (1 Thess. 2.12). It’s not enough that they think they’re doing so, or that others might consider them worthy. We live before the Lord, and we must set our minds on Him, exalted in glory, and do everything we do as unto Him (Col. 3.1-3, 23, 24).

Second, Paul prayed that God would, out of His infinitely great pleasure, fulfill all His good promises to the Thessalonians. God has promised to bless His people and to use them as conduits of blessing to the world (Gen. 12.1-3). It pleases Him to relate to us in this way, and He is always readier to bless us with His goodness than we are to receive His blessings and bless others. It’s good to have people praying like this for us.

Finally, Paul prayed that God would cause them to prosper in every good work of faith, in the power of the Holy Spirit and according to the guidance and counsel of His Word (Gal. 5.22, 23; 2 Tim. 3.15-17).

Here are three sound reasons to pray for our fellow believers. There is a larger reason for seeking these blessings for God’s people, as we shall see when we consider verse 12. For now, let us allow this solid food to shape our prayers, as we intercede for one another before the throne of grace.

Prepare.
1. If you were to develop a plan for praying without ceasing, what might that plan include?

2. Do pray for the Christians in your Personal Mission Field? How can this verse help you to improve those prayers?

3. If others were praying consistently for you to abound in every good work of faith with power, do you think that might bear fruit in your life? In what ways? 

That they may know that they need continual help from God, he declares that he prays in their behalf. When he says on this account, he means, in order that they may reach that final goal of their course, as appears from the succeeding context, that he would fulfill all the good pleasure, etc. John Calvin (1509-1564 AD), Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 1

Help me to be more constant and consistent in prayer, Lord, so that today I…

Pray Psalm 149.
Pray for yourself and your fellow believers, to be faithful to the Lord and rejoice in His pleasure, and to carry out your Kingdom-and-glory calling in every aspect of your life.

Sing to the Lord.
Psalm 149 (Toulon: I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art)
Sing to the Lord a glorious song and new!
Praise Him you people, to Whom praise is due!
Let us rejoice, let us be glad in Him
Who has created us and cleansed our sin.

Praise Him with dance, with tambourine and lyre!
To be so praised is God’s one great desire.
Lord, beautify Your holy ones with grace; 
Show us the mercy of Your saving face.

Sing to the Lord, exult with great delight!
Sing on your beds with joy to God by night!
Sing praise and take His Word into your hand;
Publish His grace and wrath in every land!

T. M. Moore

Where do 1 and 2 Thessalonians fit in the unfolding of God’s covenant? Our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, can help you understand the setting of all the books of the Bible, and how they fit into God’s unfolding plan of redemption. Watch the brief video introducing this course at The Ailbe Seminary (click here), then plan to register after January 1 in our Certificate in Kingdom Studies program, featuring Introduction to Biblical Theology.

Forward today’s study to some friends, and challenge them to study with you through this series on 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Each week’s lessons will be available as a free PDF download at the end of the week. Get a copy for yourself and send the link to the download to your friends. Plan to meet weekly to study Paul’s ministry and prepare for your own.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006).All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).