Confidence is an important part of doing things which may have an element of uncertainty or challenge about them. A child with confidence on a bike will attempt far more than one who lacks confidence. Sometimes confidence comes with experience, and sometimes there is an element of trust in someone more experienced that is the kicker to try.
Paul’s letter encourages the Thessalonian church to pray with confidence. Despite Paul’s exciting life, and the ups and downs the Thessalonians faced, Paul was still confident that God answered prayer, and so he asked the Thessalonians to pray for his gospel ministry. He did so because he was confident in God’s faithfulness, God’s work in their lives, and God’s work to mature them spiritually.
As Paul began to close out the body of his second letter to the Thessalonians, he asked “finally, brothers, pray for us” (v.1). While the logical assumption might be that Paul wanted prayer for some personal need or difficulty, Paul was actually focused on something different, “that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honoured, as happened among you” (v.1).
Paul at the time of writing was in Corinth and having a rough time. But Paul was less concerned about himself, and more concerned that the gospel would flourish there and receive the honour it deserves, bringing glory to God, as had happened in his stay in Thessalonica. By doing this, Paul was not only teaching that prayer partners gospel ministry, but that prayer is important to the success of gospel ministry.
The second reason that Paul desired the Thessalonians to pray for his ministry was opposition to it – “that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith” (v.2). Paul faced not only resistance to the gospel message, but outright hostility from some that he called wicked and evil. This opposition arose because “not all have faith”. Some rejected the message, and not having hearts awakened by the Holy Spirit, set themselves against Paul as God’s messenger.
Yet despite this opposition, Paul was confident in God to answer prayer. Why? “The Lord is faithful” (v.3). Paul was confident in prayer because of the character of the recipient. Faithless men might be wicked, but God is faithful. God is faithful to his promises, and has kept them by Jesus coming to save Paul, the Thessalonians, and us from our sins.
This faithfulness could be seen by the Thessalonians in the way God acted in their midst already. God was faithful to “establish you and guard you against the evil one” (v.3). God did not just leave them swinging in the wind, but established them in the faith and stopped the evil one from snatching them out of his hand (John 6:39).
Secondly, God’s faithfulness could be seen in their obedience to God’s word. Paul stated “we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command” (v.4). Their life of growing obedience to God’s commands, as Christ’s disciples, was evidence of their faith and the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Thirdly, Paul expressed confidence that this would continue and bring the Thessalonians to spiritual maturity. Expressed in the form of a wish, Paul stated “may the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ” (v.5). By growing in their knowledge of God’s love, they grow in their love for God. Trusting in Christ’s steadfastness, they would become more steadfast in their faith too. In this way, they would grow in spiritual maturity.
If Paul was not confident in God’s character, or in God’s work in the lives of the Thessalonians, he would not have directed them to him. But Paul did, and so we too can benefit from Paul’s confidence in God to answer prayer.
Paul’s words remind us of the importance of soaking gospel ministry in prayer. The preaching of the Gospel, the outreach of us as individuals, and the ways in which we as a congregation connect individuals with Christ’s gospel are all things God invites us to pray about. Whatever our part, it is all our privilege to pray that the gospel speedily advances and brings glory to God.
Paul’s words also remind us that we can pray with confidence because of who God is, and the evidence of God’s work in our lives. God is faithful, even when we are not. All of Scripture shows how God has been faithful and merciful to us. Even our own increase over time in obedience to God’s commands is evidence of his work in us, and that he is working in us to grow us in maturity.
As we reflect on these examples of God’s works in our lives, and God’s character, it encourages us to come to God in prayer as Paul desires.
So pray with confidence. Pray because God listens. Pray because God is faithful. Pray because God is at work in our lives. Pray because the Gospel is advancing.