"Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2
Prayer is one of the primary tools in the Christian faith, yet many of us (including myself) do not take part in this divine interaction on a regular basis. Here in 2 Thessalonians 3 Paul asks the church the pray for him and the other leaders. He even specifies the intercessions to make:
1) that the Word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified - Paul desires to see the Word of God move from person to person. The Word is powerful and will impact everyone who listens and surrender to it. As the Word changes lives and is used to bring salvation to sinners it (and therefore God) is glorified. This is Paul's desire and should be ours as well.
2) and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. - This may or may not be a shock to you, but as a Christian you WILL be hated. After all, Luke 21:17 says that we will be hated for His name's sake. Some preachers on TV and in churches around the world (but mostly in the US) have a warped idea that Christians will gain power, prestige and good favor in this world. Yes, we are called out ones, but because of that we are in rebellion to this world system. We call sin SIN and we say that you cannot sin and obey God at the same time. We tell people that there is a hell and a judgement, but that they can be saved. THIS IS THE GOSPEL. But because of this we are hated. People do not want to listen to this bit of information. They rather enjoy their sin than worry about the things of God. Because of this Paul is asking for prayer against the work of those who would have us silenced or killed.
Just like Paul is asking for prayer for these things we need to be asking the same. Not only that, but we need to be praying these things for our pastors and teachers. They are the ones on the front line of this spiritual battle. You pastor is the one who has (hopefully) a desire to see the Word of the Lord work in the lives of his flock. He will be held accountable for this and that is a heavy burden to bear. Along side this he is also being mocked, ridiculed, trashed and persecuted both inside and outside the church. Do not be deceived, any pastor who proclaims the truth and the scriptures without hesitation will not be liked by some people.
So let's pray for our pastors & leaders. May the Lord bless them and take their words and the scripture they proclaim and may it "run swiftly" into the lives of those they teach. May the Lord protect them and their families from the enemy and from those who would see them harmed or brought down. For the glory of God and His word we pray these things in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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