1 Thessalonians 3:11-Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s Petition to the Father that He and the Lord Jesus Would Guide Their Journey to the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 3:11 Now may God our Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. (NET)

The statement recorded in 1 Thessalonians 3:11 marks a transition from the statements in 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10 to the statements which appear in 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13.

The former presents Timothy’s report to Paul and Silvanus regarding the Thessalonians as well as the latter’s response to this report which asserted that the Thessalonian Christian community was remaining faithful to the gospel despite experiencing persecution at the hands of their own countrymen.

The latter expresses Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s desire for the Father and the Lord Jesus to guide their journey into the presence of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community.

It also is communicating the content of their intercessory prayer they offered to the Father on behalf of the Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 3:11 communicates to the Thessalonian Christian community what Paul, Silvanus and Timothy were politely requesting the Father in prayer to do for them in relation to the Thessalonian Christian community.

The optative mood of the verb kateuthynō is expressing Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s polite request to the Father that the Father Himself and the Lord Jesus would guide, direct and lead their journey back into the presence of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community.

This verb is expressing the idea of God the Father and the Lord Jesus guiding, directing and leading Paul, Silvanus and Timothy into the presence of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community.

The Father and the Son would do this through the Holy Spirit influencing them so as to cause them to follow a course of action recommended by the Father and the Son.

1 Thessalonians 3:11 does not record the act of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy praying to the Father and the Son but rather it simply records the content of what these three men asked the Father to do for them.

This is indicated by the fact that the Lord Jesus Himself and the other writers of the New Testament all taught that all prayer is to be addressed to the Father and not the Lord Jesus (John 14:13-14; 16:23-27; Rom. 8:15; Eph. 3:14; 5:20; Col. 1:3, 12; 3:17; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 1:6).

Furthermore, notice that this request is for both the Father and the Lord Jesus to guide Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s journey into the presence of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community and not the act of these three men praying to both the Father and the Son.

There is a big difference between the act of praying and the content what is requested in prayer and thus they are not one in the same.

Therefore, 1 Thessalonians 3:11 is merely communicating to the Thessalonians what these men prayed to the Father for in Jesus name and is expressing to the Thessalonians their great desire to them again.

This verse is communicating to the Thessalonians the content of the petition Paul, Silvanus and Timothy politely offered to the Father in prayer.

The purpose of which is to express again to the Thessalonians, the great desire of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy to see them again.

The Lord Jesus is mentioned in this assertion since all prayer must be offered to the Father in His name since only on the merits of the Lord Jesus’ character, and work on the cross and the believer’s union with Him does the Father fulfill the believer’s prayer request.

He is also mentioned because He too, like the Father would be involved in guiding Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s journey back into the presence of the Thessalonian Christian community.

The Father works in the affairs of human beings through His Son, the Lord Jesus as well as through the Holy Spirit.

So therefore, 1 Thessalonians 3:11 does not teach that the Lord Jesus is the recipient of prayer from believers along with the Father since as we noted, the Lord Jesus and the other writers of the New Testament all taught that there is a protocol to prayer.

They teach that the Christian is to pray to the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit.

The believer-priest must address God the Father in prayer (John 14:13-14; 16:23-27; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 2:18; 3:14; 5:20; Col 1:3, 12; 3:17; 1 Peter 1:17; Revelation 1:6).

Even the Lord Jesus Christ taught to address the Father in prayer.

When His disciples asked Him how to pray, His response was, “pray to your Father” (Mat 6:6).

The Lord Jesus Christ taught that prayer must be made in His name or His person, since He is the intermediary to the Father (John 14:13-15; 15:16; 16:23, 26; cf. Eph 5:20; Col 3:17).

Now, in 1 Thessalonians 3:11, the verb kateuthynō is in the singular and yet has two subjects, namely God the Father and the Lord Jesus, which is significant since indicates that the Lord Jesus is equal to the Father.

When Paul, Silvanus and Timothy offered up this petition recorded in 1 Thessalonians 3:11, they wanted both the Father and the Son to overcome Satan and guide their journey back into the presence of the Thessalonians.

We need to remember that Paul and Silvanus were Jewish who were strict monotheists and yet they asked the Father in prayer that both He and the Son would guide their journey back into the presence of the Thessalonians.

This expresses the very high place Jesus Christ had in their understanding of God’s identity.

The fact that the Father is mentioned first and then the Lord Jesus expresses their understanding that the Lord Jesus is subordinate to the Father despite the fact that He is equal to the Father.

Now, in 1 Thessalonians 3:11, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy felt the need to offer this petition to the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus that both the Father and the Lord Jesus would guide their journey into the presence of the Thessalonian Christian community because Satan had hindered them from doing this.

1 Thessalonians 2:17-18 reveal that Satan had repeatedly hindered Paul and Silvanus from returning to visit the Thessalonians.

Therefore, the fact that Satan repeatedly hindered Paul and Silvanus from returning to the Thessalonians drove them to pray to the Father that He and the Lord Jesus would guide their journey into the presence of the Thessalonians again and the content of that prayer is recorded in 1 Thessalonians 3:11.

This prayer request offered up to the Father by Paul, Silvanus and Timothy is called a “petition,” which is an essential part to a productive prayer life and is a prayer request for your own particular spiritual and temporal needs (Rom. 1:10; 2 Cor. 12:8; 1 Thess. 3:10; Heb. 4:16).

God encourages us to pray for our own needs because it teaches us to depend upon Him and His wonderful provisions.

Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s petition to the Father recorded in 1 Thessalonians 3:11 which requested that the Father and the Lord Jesus guide their journey into the presence of the Thessalonians was fulfilled when Paul returned to Corinth from Ephesus via Macedonia (cf. 1 Cor. 16:5; 2 Cor. 2:13; Acts 19:21; 20:1f.).

It appears that this petition was not fulfilled until many years later according to the travels of Paul recorded in the book of Acts (cf. Acts 20:1-6), however, this prayer request might have been fulfilled sooner.