“Brethren, pray for us.” 1 Thessalonians 5:25
Pray is powerful. It is powerful because prayer can influence Almighty God, who has influence over all the universe. It is how we talk to God. A God that created the earth, that parted the sea, that raised the dead, and brought victory over sin. There is nothing that prayer cannot do, because there is nothing that God cannot do.
Paul writing in the closing statements of his letter to the Thessalonians says: “Brethren, pray for us.” Furthermore, he wrote to the church at Colossi asking that they pray for them and for a “door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:” Paul gave so much, and in returned asked very little. He never begged for money or invited adoration. However, he didn’t hesitate to ask for prayer. The call to pray, the necessity of prayer, and the power that a prayer in faith can have is illustrated throughout the Word. Jesus himself was a man of prayer and showed to us the amazing value of prayer. Often, he would rise early or seek to separate himself to find time to pray. He said that his house was a “house of prayer”. He would spend all night in prayer, and when Peter was told Satan desired Him, Christ said “I have prayed for you.” With all the ammunition that the Son of God possessed, he reached into the arsenal and pulled out; prayer. The early church leaders when confronted with the worthy cause of ministering to widows, delegated that task and gave themselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the word. I believe they did this because there was no greater power than prayer, and the prerequisite to action is prayer. Prayer is a powerful, powerful weapon when mixed with faith and obedience. Also, Jesus Christ lived to do the will of the Father, and he had complete faith in the Father. He was the Father. However, that didn’t stop him for continually praying to the Father, seeking God’s will over his own. This is our example, if Christ valued pray so highly how much more should we? When Jesus prayed, His prayers reached the throne of God and God responded. He responded because they were sent with faith and obedience, and they were in the will of the Father. I ask you, if you could, or if it were possible to raise up a generation of people to do one thing: what would that one thing it be? Would it be to preach? Or start missions? Perhaps build businesses? What do you want more than anything for the next generation? Would to God we have a generation of holy people who pray without “wrath or doubting”. Really pray. Devote themselves to it and believe completely in it. It’s a sad thing if we have a whole generation of kids who can annihilate each other on a video game but haven’t a clue how to destroy the devil’s kingdom. Who covet the adoration of one another but seem too care little for the Creator and maker of all things. The greatest generation is not a generation that fights wars, builds countries, or even advances technology; it’s a generation who lives holy. A generation that prays “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” A generation who loves God, believes that God can do all things, and is willing to sacrifice anything to perform His will.
“Brethren, pray for us.” The early church understood the power in prayer in a way the modern church does not. We have become way too dependent on things we should not be dependent on. However, all is not lost, we can still pray. So “brethren, pray for us.” Pray for me, and I will pray for you.
