Praying for the Gospel

We continue to explore what it means to follow Jesus. This week, we focus on the shield of faith, and how one step of faith begets more and encourages others to follow suit. Before we begin, let’s start with a prayer.

Heavenly Father, we praise You and thank You for Your presence in our lives. In times of uncertainty and unrest, I pray we continue to trust You will see us through and that we take the steps of faith You are calling us toward, especially when it doesn’t make sense to us or we are afraid. I pray that we make prayer a habit in our daily lives and can further Your word in all ways. Amen.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 (NLT)  
1Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. 2 Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer. 3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. 4 And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you. 5 May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

Paul is asking here that his brothers and sisters specifically pray for the rapid spread and favorable reception of the gospel message wherever it goes, perpetuating the shield of faith throughout. Prayer is powerful and is a critically important part of sharing our faith and growing God’s kingdom. How do you give and receive prayer? Think about your prayer practices: when you pray, why you pray, and most importantly, the outcome and how you feel.

Often when we are experiencing something challenging, such as an illness, a diagnosis, or a tragedy, we seek others to join our prayers. We do this because we recognize that there is power in prayer, and the more people who join in, the stronger our faith becomes, and the more robust our shield of faith grows to be.

Paul recognized that there are evil forces, and how important it was to spread God’s word. Recognizing the power in prayer, he called on other believers to pray as well, asking that God’s word be spread, and that we may be delivered from those forces. Like Paul, we should pray that the gospel continues to be spread, and ask our brothers and sisters in Christ to join us, too.

Are you praying for the gospel? How can you encourage others to join in prayer?

Take a few moments to reflect and spend time in prayer about your thoughts and feelings. Feel free to use the following prompts to help guide you.

God, I want others to know Your message because...

God, challenge me to...

I pray that you hear God’s message and that you challenge yourself to not only help spread His gospel, but, as a result, further strengthen the shield of faith around us.