Memorise: Brethren, pray for us. 1st Thessalonians 5:25
Read: 2nd Thessalonians 3:1-2 (KJV)
1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:
2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.
Bible in one year:
2nd Kings 14-15,
Daniel 7:1-12,
Hymn:
Sing hymn 3
Message
Prayer is such a potent weapon that can do undo things in people’s lives. It is so powerful that even the person praying cannot comprehend the extent of its reach.
Those who walked with God in times past knew the importance of prayer, and this is what inspired Paul’s request in today’s memory verse. Even though he was a prayer warrior himself, he asked the brethren to continually pray for him and his team. Our Lord Jesus Christ also demonstrated the importance of prayer by often spending all night in prayer alone, encouraging His disciples also to be prayerful (Luke 18:1-8). In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed for grace to accomplish the will of His Father and also asked His disciples to join Him in prayer, rebuking them when they did not do so. Matthew 26:38 & 40 says:
“Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me… And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour.”
Paul also learnt from the Lord about the potency of corporate prayers, which is why he often craved prayers for himself and his team in his epistle. He believed that they could do nothing without God, and that God would not do anything without prayer, based on His principle in Matthew 7:7. On the surface, one would expect that pastors alone should pray for their flock, but in today’s Bible reading, we see an apostle giving the Church at Thessalonica a prayer request that the Lord would have His way in the ministry He committed to them. He also asked the Church to pray for their deliverance from wicked men who did not believe in the gospel, trying their best to stop its spread. The Church is facing a lot of obstacles today because we are not praying enough like the early Church did. Peter would not have escaped King Herod’s sword if the early Church was not fervent in prayers. The Lord answered their prayers by sending an angel to rescue him. Having witnessed the great impact of prayer, Apostle James wrote in James 5:16b, saying:
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Beloved, we ought t continually pray for our leaders. The temptations and battles facing Christian leaders are beyond what members of the Church can imagine. We must therefore faithfully and consistently pray for our spiritual and secular leaders so that they may not make mistakes in governance, and so that we can live a peaceful and holy life in this world (1st Timothy 2:1-2). Spiritual leaders need our prayers to administer their responsibilities correctly, and in order not to disappoint God and betray the trust reposed in them by the Church. Furthermore, the need our prayers to finish well and strong. Are you praying for them?
Action Point
Make it an obligation to pray for the spiritual leaders God has set over you on a daily basis.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional Lessons was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical Churches in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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