MAY 2, 2013
A
Plea For Prayer
Read: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
Brethren, pray for us. —2 Thessalonians 3:1
A
missionary recently visited the Bible study I was attending. She described what
it had been like to pack up her household, part with friends, and relocate to a
distant country. When she and her family arrived, they were greeted with a
flourishing
drug-trade and hazardous roadways. The language barrier brought on
bouts of
loneliness. They contracted four different stomach viruses. And her
oldest daughter
narrowly escaped death after falling through a railing on an
unsafe stairwell. They
needed prayer.
The
apostle Paul experienced danger and hardship as a missionary. He was
imprisoned, shipwrecked, and beaten. It’s no surprise that his letters
contained pleas for prayer.
He asked the believers in Thessalonica to pray for
success in spreading the gospel
—that God’s Word would “run swiftly and be
glorified” (2 Thess. 3:1) and that God
would deliver him from
“unreasonable and wicked men” (v.2). Paul knew he would
need to “open [his]
mouth boldly” and declare the gospel (Eph. 6:19), which was
yet another prayer
request.
Do
you know people who need supernatural help as they spread the good news of
Christ?
Remember Paul’s appeal, “Brethren, pray for us” (2 Thess. 3:1), and intercede
for them before the throne of our powerful God.
Commit to pray and intercede—
The battle’s strong and great’s the need;
And this one truth can’t be ignored:
Our only help comes from the Lord. —Sper
Intercede for others in prayer; God’s throne is always
accessible.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
