The Encouragement of Prayer

The Encouragement of Prayer

2 Thessalonians 1:11–12 NKJV

Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul prayed for his converts (1 Thes. 1:2; 3:10). His “wherefore” in 2 Thessalonians 1:11 means, “And because of all I have just said”—the return of Christ to be glorified in the saints, and to judge the lost. The future prospect of glory motivated the apostle to pray for the saints. We must never neglect a present responsibility because of a future hope. On the contrary, the future hope must encourage us to be faithful today.

There were three concerns in Paul’s prayer.

Their worthiness (v. 11a). In 2 Thessalonians 1:5, Paul had stated that he wanted them to be worthy of the kingdom when they entered glory in the future. But here he emphasized their present situation. God’s calling was in grace and love, and Paul desired that they might live up to that calling (see 2 Thes. 2:13–14).

Trials do not make a person; they reveal what a person is made of. When our faith is tried, we are revealing our worth (1 Peter 1:6–9). God certainly knows our hearts even before we are tried, but we do not know our own hearts. And others do not know what we are worth. We need to pray that God will build our worth and make us more valuable Christians because of the trials we have endured.

Their walk (v. 11b). “That by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act promoted by your faith” (NIV). Character must lead to conduct. Paul prayed that they might have a determined will, empowered by God, to do what He wanted them to do. Obedience and service do not spring from human talent and efforts, but from God’s power as we trust Him.

Paul had linked faith with love (2 Thes. 1:3) and endurance (2 Thes. 1:4), and here he linked it with power. If we believe God, we will receive His power in our lives. We cannot be victorious in tribulations if we only trust ourselves; but we can be victorious through trusting Him.

It is easy (by force of habit) to trust a source of power without checking to see if the switch is on. Paul was praying that his friends might “have the switch on” and, by their faith, receive the power needed to endure suffering and glorify God.

Their witness (v. 12). Jesus Christ will be glorified in His saints when they return with Him (2 Thes. 1:10); but He should also be glorified in our lives today. Unbelievers blaspheme His name (1 Peter 4:12ff), but believers bless His name and seek to glorify it. The amazing thing is that the believer who glorifies Christ is likewise glorified in Christ, “glorified in you, and you in Him” (niv).

How can this be done? “According to the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thes. 1:12). Grace and glory go together, as do suffering and glory (see Pss. 45:2–3; 84:11; Rom. 5:2; 2 Cor. 8:19; 1 Peter 5:10). As we receive His grace, we reveal His glory.

“ ‘There is no peace,’ saith the Lord, ‘unto the wicked’ ” (Isa. 48:22). No rest for the wicked! But there is rest for those who trust Christ and seek to live for His glory. For the Christian, the best is yet to come. We know that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).