2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5  Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.  And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith.  But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.  We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command.  May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

Paul requests prayer from the Thessalonian believers for his protection from wicked and evil men who wish to hinder the spreading of the Good News.  Obviously, Paul believed in the power of prayer to bring down the strongholds of Satan.  He also knew his battle was not merely against the principalities and powers that were visible, but against the unseen principalities and powers in the satanic domain.  These evil powers held a stranglehold on the Gentile world and culture that kept people in darkness, serving the evil one.  The Holy Spirit was using the prayers of the newly birthed Christians to elevate Jesus in their cities and their culture as the Savior of the world.  When Jesus spoke of the kernel of wheat falling into the ground and dying and bringing forth much seed, He said, "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”  (John 12:32)  Jesus, the light of the world, was dispelling the darkness in the Gentile world.  As an instrument of God to the Gentiles, Paul needed the constant prayers of his converts to keep at bay the works of Satan, for he knew not everyone has faith, not all in their communities would receive the message of God with open hearts.  As Jesus urged his disciples to stay awake in the Garden before his arrest, Paul urged his new converts not to become lethargic but to pray earnestly for the work of God to be done not only in their city but throughout the Gentile world as the message of God's salvation plan spread to all people.     

Prayer is act of faith, transmitting our thoughts and desires to God as we trust him.  Prayer is also listening to the voice of God and believing in his perfect will for us.  Prayer represents communication with the heart of God.  If we lack faith in God, our prayer life will be stilted and dry, a ritual, lacking depth and reality.  We will have only a one-way communication.  Our lips will move, but God's lips will be still.  We will hear our voice and not his still quiet voice.  In today's verses, Paul reminds the Thessalonians of a precious truth that as human we may sometimes forget.  We might waver, But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.  He accomplishes these wonderful deeds in our lives because God is a loving and attentive Father not a silent, distant, or disconnected Father as some of our natural fathers have been.  He knows us better than we know ourselves.  He speaks to our inner souls.  He tells us He is near to us and will never leave us.  God reveals his love by the way He speaks to us.  When we listen to the Holy Spirit, we hear words of love, kindness and comfort.  We read in the Old and the New Testaments that God is near to us through his presence and the Word written in our hearts.  I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. . .Then I said, “Here I am, I have come — it is written about me in the scroll.  I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”  (Psalm 40:1-3 & 7-8)  The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.  (Romans 10:8) The message of Christianity is that we are not alone here in this universe.  We are not self-created beings; neither did we evolve from inanimate material.  No, we were created in his image with the possibility to hold God's Spirit in our innermost being.  We have a transmitting system already hooked up into our brains.  All that we need to hear him is an open heart and a born-again spirit. When we say, "Come Lord Jesus, come," He is already there.

Paul asked for prayer many times in his letters.  Why pray if everything seems static.  Why pray if God's hands are not moved with compassion.  Paul believed in change: he knew God had delivered him many times and had transformed countless people's lives.  He wrote to the church at Colosse: Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  (Colossians 3:12-14)  Prayer is an act of faith, putting to practice what we know, saying, "Father, Father, hear my request; answer my needs; give me your peace; lift up my head."  When we pray, we clear the lines of communication: we clear the plaque that is stopping the flow of the knowledge of God, his intentions.  We allow God to release the perfect flow between him and us.  We allow the oxygenated blood from his throne room to fill our deprived, anemic existence.  We start to realize HE IS REAL, TRULY LOVES US, and WE ARE HIS CHILDREN.  We start to please the Father because only faith pleases the Father, and prayer is the purest form of faith.  IF WE TRULY BELIEVE HE IS LORD, WE WILL BE IN COMMUNICATION WITH HIM CONSTANTLY.  There will be no down time, for we will drink the living water and feast on the bread of life, knowing without him we will not survive.  He is our portion, our life, our peace, our eternity--EVERYTHING.  Jesus prayed because He knew the Father heard him and He desired strength from him.  He also prayed because He came not to do his own will but the Father's will.  This is our example.  Paul tells the church to pray without ceasing: Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)  Paul says these words because if we are joyful and thankful and praying continually we will be in constant touch with the Creator, our loving Father.  We will be children of light and love, sharing the living water and the bread of life with thirsty and hungry people.  Pray today and hear his voice!