Today’s passage is more than just the prayer (which is v23-24). In the reading we have the encourage to “pray without ceasing” as well as Paul request of the Thessalonians that they “pray for us.”
Another thought before we look at this great
prayer: we have used the term “wholeness.”
That is a technical word for many today.
They may or may not use it as Paul does here, as you will see when we
define terms.
For whom is Paul praying?
He is praying for the believers in
Thessalonica. This is prayer you would
pray for one who has trusted Christ.
To whom is Paul praying? “the God of peace” “He who calls you”
Remember that “peace” is more than the
cessation of hostilities, although it does can refer to that. In Scripture, “peace” refers to God’s general
goodness towards those who have been reconciled to Him. They are no longer at enmity with Him, but
are rather recipients of the abundant blessing He bestows to those who are in
Christ. Paul is praying here for God’s
blessing, so he calls upon God who is the source of this peace.
What moves Paul to pray?
This is the end of his letter, so you could
say this is the benediction. But what he
has said in this letter is the reason he now prays for their sanctification. 1 Thess. 4-5 is under the banner of 4:3: For
this is the will of God, your sanctification. Therefore, Paul prays that God will complete
the work of sanctification or holiness that is His will for them.
What requests does Paul present?
My view is that Paul presents one request,
using two phrases to describe what he longs for God to do in their lives. Two words, translated completely and whole
in the NKJV, give us the essence of the request. It is that God will sanctify (set them
apart, bring them to holiness) them completely.
If and when He does this, they will be preserved blameless at the coming
of Christ. This is a wonderful prayer so
we will extend out consideration of it in our next post.
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