Prayer is a multifaceted jewel in the life of human beings. It allows us to share our thoughts, cares, concerns, appreciation and desperate pleas with almighty God. One of those pleas is that God will prepare and empower us to deliver the message of the Lord to others.
Today's Devotional Scripture
"...Pray for us. Pray first that the Lord‘s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. Pray, too, that we will be saved from wicked and evil people, for not everyone believes in the Lord. But the Lord is faithful; he will make you strong and guard you from the evil one…May the Lord bring you an even deeper understanding of the love of God and the endurance that comes from Christ." (2 Thessalonians 3:1-5, New Living Translation)
Prayer Is Important
The importance of prayer is ginormous, so we‘ll use several devotional articles to cover this subject. Today’s focus is on the Apostle Paul’s message to the church in Thessalonica.
We begin by recognizing that Paul’s primary goal is “the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes” (2 Thessalonians 3:1). The Apostle Paul implies it is not a message for only a few people to share, which is why he says "pray for us."
The Lord's Message
“The Lord’s message” is found 22 times in the New Living Translation of The Bible. It is used 19 times in the Old Testament and most frequently is tied to a prophecy. It is used three times in the New Testament and in all instances is connected to Jesus.
"The Lord's message" appears once in the Gospels, once in Acts and once in 2 Thessalonians (see today‘s devotional scripture). For example, Matthew 1:22 says that the birth of Jesus “occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message.” It was a promise made by God and delivered by His prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before Christ the Lord was born in Bethlehem.
Acts 13 records that the Apostle Paul and Barnabas traveled to Antioch and went to the synagogue. When those in charge of the worship service invited anyone to share words of encouragement, Paul stood up and told the story of Jesus.
The people were so enthusiastic about Paul’s message that they encouraged him and Barnabas to stay for a while. Acts 13:23 says: “The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord.”
Their preaching so impacted the Gentiles in Antioch that “they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region” (Acts 13:48-49).
The Lord’s message has been placed squarely in our hearts and minds to share with others. We should use focused prayer and devotional messages like this one to help motivate us to tell people that salvation is available through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Expect Resistance and Opposition
The Apostle Paul, like us, has concerns. He states quite bluntly that "not everyone believes in the Lord” and advises us to pray that we will be saved when we encounter wicked and evil people. Jesus said in the model prayer: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13).
Both Jesus and Paul remind us that the Lord is faithful, equips up with strength and provides unequaled protection, which gives us the courage to pray that “Thy will be done.” And as Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 3:5: “May the Lord bring you into a deeper understanding of the love of God and the endurance that comes from Christ.”
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your faithfulness in protecting me from the plans of the evil one. I praise You that I can know You better by praying constantly and meditating on Your Word. Help me to carve out time to commune with You in prayer daily. I ask that Your Word would be foremost in my mind and my heart. I pray that Your message would be imparted swiftly from my life to others through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Postscript
I have attached a video done by the group 'No Other Name.' Last year this trio of Christians started a campaign called "Let It Start with Me" . The campaign's objective is to take the Lord's message everywhere in the world. More information is available at letitstartwithme.com.
The tag on Twitter for this article is #prayfortheharvest and it is logged by @denimartin. You can also comment on this article or send me an email at deni-martin@att.net.
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