1 Thessalonians 5:17-The Thessalonians Must Continue to Make it Their Habit of Being Occupied with Prayer

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Constantly pray. (NET)

The apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 solemnly issues another command which required that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community continue to make it their habit of not ceasing to be occupied with prayer.

Though Paul does not explicitly mention the type of prayers he wanted the Thessalonians to be engaged in, it is clear from his writings that he expected them to be interceding in prayers for the body of Christ and the non-Christian.

He also expected them to offer petitions for their own individual needs.

Paul also expected them to offer thanksgiving to the Father in prayer on a regular basis.

Lastly, he also expected them to not only to pray as individuals but also to be engaged in corporate prayer with each other.

Prayer is one of the means that God gives the believer in order that they might enjoy and experience fellowship with Him and achieve intimacy with Him.

One of essential elements to a productive prayer life is that of intercession, which means to pray for both the temporal and spiritual needs of believers and unbelievers, friends and enemies (Luke 23:34; Eph 1:16-23; 3:14-19; 6:18; 1 Ti 2:1-4).

It is an expression of the love of God in our lives and, therefore, directly relates to what the Scriptures teach on love.

Another essential part of a productive prayer life is petition.

A petition 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.

As we noted, Paul expected the Thessalonians to be offering up thanksgiving to the Father in prayer on a regular basis as well.

One of the characteristics of a productive prayer life is thanksgiving and is also an essential element as well (John 6:11; Rom. 1:8; 6:17; 7:25; 1 Cor. 1:4; 11:24; 15:57; 2 Co 2:14; 4:15; 8:16; 9:11; Eph. 1:15-16; 5:4; 5:20; Phlp. 1:3; Col. 2:7; 3:15; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2:13; 2 Thess. 1:3; 2:13; Phlm. 4).

Thanksgiving to God is the response in the believer’s soul, which expresses itself in love and appreciation for who and what God is and what He has done for the believer through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Philippians 4:6 At this very moment, all of you stop continuing to be anxious about absolutely anything, but rather, concerning anything at all by means of reverential prayer in the presence of the Father and by means of petition accompanied by the giving of thanks, let your specific detailed requests be repeatedly made known in the presence of the Father. 7 And as a result the peace produced by God the Holy Spirit, which is always superior to any and every human conception, will as a dogmatic statement of fact cause your hearts to be protected and as a result your thoughts by means of the doctrine of Christ Jesus. (My translation)

The Lord Jesus Christ offered a prayer of thanksgiving to the Father when instituting the Lord’s Supper for the church (Matt. 26:26-27; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17, 19; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).

Colossians 4:2 Each of you must continue to make it your habit of being dedicated to persevering in prayer while at the same time continuing to exist in a state of being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. (My translation)

As we noted, not only did Paul expect the Thessalonians to be engage in prayer on a regular basis as individuals but he also expected them to do so as a corporate unit.

The first century apostolic church was devoted to corporate prayer as they waited for the promised helper, God the Holy Spirit, to come upon them after the ascension of the Lord (Acts 1:14).

The next instance that records the early Church gathering together for corporate prayer is in Acts 2.

The three thousand souls saved, as a result of Peter’s communication of the Gospel, were “continually devoting themselves” to the teaching of the apostles, to fellowship, to the Lord’s Supper, and prayer (Acts 2:42).

Acts 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (NASB95)

Now, in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 when Paul issues the command for the Thessalonians to continue to make it their habit of not ceasing to be occupied with prayer to the Father, we need to understand that they were already doing so.

This is indicated by the fact that in 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10, which affirms that the Thessalonians were making it their habit of practicing the love of God when interacting with each other and the non-Christian.

Practicing the love of God would cause them to intercede for each other and members of the non-Christian community in prayer to the Father.

The customary present imperative conjugation of the verb proseuchomai and the temporal adverb adialeiptōs which modifies it express the idea that the Thessalonians were persevering in prayer.

Paul did not expect the Thessalonians to be in prayer every single minute of every day but rather he expected them to pray habitually since he is using “hyperbole.”

This figure is so-called because the expression adds to the sense so much that it exaggerates it and enlarges or diminishes it more than is really meant in fact or when more is said than is meant to be literally understood in order to heighten the sense.

Therefore, this indicates that Paul expected the Thessalonians to pray on a habitual or regular basis.

In other words, he wanted them to be a people characterized as devoted to prayer to their God.

One of the characteristics of an effective prayer life is perseverance (Matt. 26:39-44; Luke 11:9-10; 18:1-8; 21:36; Rom. 12:12; 15:30; Acts 1:14; 6:4; 12:5; Eph. 6:18; 1 Thess. 5:17; 1 Tim. 5:5; 2 Tim. 1:3; Col. 1:9; 4:2, 12; Heb. 10:22).

Matthew 7:7 Ask repeatedly, and it will be given to you; seek repeatedly, and you will find; knock continuously, and it will be opened to you. (My translation)

In 1 Thessalonians 1:3, Paul affirmed that the Thessalonians were persevering.

1 Thessalonians 1:2 We make it our habit of always giving thanks to the one and only God (the Father) on behalf of each and every one of you because we constantly make it our practice of bringing each and every one of you into remembrance during our prayers. 3 Specifically, because we make it our habit of remembering in the presence of God, our Father, your work, which was produced by your faith, as well as your labor, which was motivated by your divine-love and also your perseverance which was produced by your confident expectation of blessing from our Lord Jesus Christ. (My translation)

In the New Testament, hupomonē it used primarily to denote perseverance, which is steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, and a state and suggests activity maintained in spite of intense pressure, difficulties, steadfast and long continued application.

For the Christian, “perseverance” is remaining faithful by being obedient to the Word of God despite the obstacles in life such as the old sin nature, self, the cosmic system of Satan and is bearing up under intense pressure and not quitting on God.

“Perseverance” is not passively waiting out difficult circumstances but rather it is active and is often depicted as enduring undeserved suffering on behalf of the communication of the gospel.

Hupomonē, “perseverance” is not “gritting one’s teeth” nor is it a passive acceptance of the circumstances but rather it is remaining faithful and obedient to the will of God in the face of opposition or difficulty.

It is an attitude, which bears with things not simply with resignation, but with a confident expectation that God will be glorified in our adversity and we will be blessed.

In other words, when an adversity strikes in our lives that is difficult, painful, frustrating and disappointing, and we meet the adversity with God’s grace and faith in the Word of God.

We meet it with His power found in the Word of God, His sufficiency, fellowship, wisdom and love, and don’t give in to bitterness and resentment and complaining, then we are persevering.

The root idea of hupomonē is that of remaining under some discipline, subjecting one’s self to the will of God, which demands the acquiescence of the will to His will, in which we are inclined to rebel against because of our sin nature.

The word conveys the idea of not permitting our adverse circumstances to get us to surrender or quit on the plan of God.

The word describes a triumphant confident expectation of reward and blessing in the midst of adversity, knowing like Joseph that even out of evil God guarantees good rather than a “grin and bear it” attitude.

Perseverance is essential if one is to do the Father’s will and remain faithful to Him and receive rewards and it is produced by meditating upon and obeying the Scriptures.

James 1:2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (NASB95)