Verse: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
1 Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, 2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
Devotion:
What a sweet passage that serves to remind us of the Lord’s goodness. In the season of life I’m in right now, I’m learning to find the Lord’s promises and truth to us and to cling to them with everything I have. His promises might not always feel true, but thankfully we don’t serve a God that changes based on our feelings. His promises were truth from the beginning of time and still ring true today. Let’s dig into the truth we can find in these passages.
One thing that jumps right out to me in the beginning of this is confidence in which Paul speaks. He knows what he’s saying is good and true, and does not waver. I wonder what it would look like for me to speak so boldly and confidently about what I know to be true of my God to the people around me.
Another thing that jumps out at me is that Paul immediately asks people to continue praying for him (and the people he’s traveling with) in order to further his ministry. Like come on… it’s Paul! Of all people, it seems like he could give himself a pass to just keep moving on with ministry knowing he’s moving in God’s will. However, first and foremost, he acknowledges his need for prayer to continue to guide his steps in ministry and to keep him safe. He relies on his brothers and sisters in Christ to continue praying for his good work. Imagine if we followed the model Paul set before us. What would it look like for you to boldly ask a friend to pray for you? What if we prayed over every potential ministry opportunity before taking one step on our own? Paul’s faith reminds me of what reliance on God looks like in practice.
The last thing that stands out to me is the reminder of God’s faithfulness. The Lord does not change His character Malachi 3:6) and He fulfills every promise He makes (Numbers 23:19) Paul’s prayers for His friends is that God will direct their hearts to His love and the steadfastness of Christ. Even when it doesn’t feel true, He is always faithful. He is always steadfast. He will never falter or change. Beyond what we can even fathom in our earthly understanding, God will always show up. We can cling to His never ceasing character, even when everything else around us is changing.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for being faithful and steadfast. Thank you for giving us your word to remind us that we can always rely on you. Lord, help us to be bold in knowing we can trust your truth, always. I pray Paul’s prayer over our lives today. Direct our steps of ministry to get the gospel out quickly. Protect us from harm. Direct our hearts to your love. Set our eyes on the steadfastness of our Savior. Thank you Lord for the sweet reminders you give us and the moments to slow down and be with you. We love you, amen.
Author: Becca Artymenko
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