Finally, brethren, pray for us,
that the word of the Lord may
have free course, and be glorified,
even as it is with you: and that we
maybe delivered from unreasonable
and wicked men: for all men have
not faith. But the Lord is faithful,
who shall establish you, and keep
you from evil. And we have confidence
in the Lord touching you, that ye
both do and will do the things
which we command you. And
the Lord direct your hearts into
the love of God, and into the
patient waiting for Christ.
2Thessalonians 3:1-5
A most major work of an Authentic Christian is intercessory prayer. Too often pray is more of asking, asking for something for oneself putting that person in a top priority position, making God to more of a vending machine than God. Too often our prayers are mucked up with the cares of this world, we cannot shut off those things that are being faced and are often very troubling, and our prayers get short circuited.If asked, most, if not all, Christian deem themselves free of idols, but is this the case when a car, a home, clothing, or need to be rich, all these among other things that take up much of a person's thinking, even their imagination for those things are in actuality, an idol. Why? Your desire is for those things and not the desire to have a deep relationship to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our imaginations are starved and we feed on things that take our concentration away from God, from our fellow Christians and our prayers lack to be intercessory. God should be filling our minds, our prayers, feeding our starved imaginations and when you realize this then you are in the will of God and are one who prays prayers of intercession and bring glory to God and not to oneself.
How is this done? The test of spiritual concentration is bringing the imagination into captivity. How is this done? Is your imagination looking on the face of an idol? Is the idol yourself? Your work? Your conception of what a worker should be? Your experience of salvation and sanctification? If any of these is true then your imagination of God is starved, and when you are faced with difficulties you have no power, you can, and will, attempt to face those difficulties in your own power.
Paul knew that he needed prayer to enable him to face the difficulties he faced every day, those difficulties of being beaten, shouted at, driven from cities, and even prison. Paul prayed not for himself, but so that the word of the Lord would have free course. It was the Gospel that held his imagination, had his concentration, but also Paul asked for prayer to be able to face wicked people, those unreasonable people that would attempt in every way to quiet him. Paul reminded them, and in doing so reminded himself, that the Lord is faithful and He would establish him, them, and you. How is this possible? It is your heart. Where does your heart lie? Not physically as in your chest, no, in this case the word heart is a metaphorical use, and pertains to one's emotions, one's desire, for out of the heart the mouth speaks, and a person's actions are manifested. To have a heart for God is the highest desire and God will fulfill your desire: "Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land,and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. commit they way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass" (Psalm 37: 3-5). Many people use verse 4 to believe that if they just ask God will provide, and this is far from the truth, a person's desire must be a desire to be in the will of God, to ask in the will of God, then God will give you your desire and that desire is to be faithful to Him, to grow in relationship to Him. What else is more important to ask? Nothing!
Finally, Paul commands them to quit looking for the return of Jesus Christ and focus on what, and why, God has chosen you to be one of His children. Then, direction of the heart, this assurance of God's promise to return leads you to patiently wait for Jesus Christ and His Second Coming to take back with Him His bride, and to destroy once and for all ages, evil, Satan, and all evil people. This waiting is not sitting back in some form of apathy, no, it is waiting in expectation and that expectation will lead you to bring the Gospel to all, to anyone, and for you to be one who prays prayers of intercession for all your brothers and sisters in Christ and especially for those who are in missionary work, who are leading full-time lives in service to God. Want a blessing? This will bless you, you need no other blessing than knowing that you are in the will of God.
Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed
unto the end of the world,
say ye to the daughter of Zion,
Behold, thy salvation cometh;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his work before him.
And they shall call them,
the holy people, the redeemed
of the LORD; and thou shalt be called,
sought out, a city not forasaken.
Isaiah 62: 11-12
Pray today and intercessory prayer
Richard L. Crumb
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