Every Christian has situations when praying is the only thing to do. The New Testament gives examples of a church praying, which provides a wider picture.

One example is Thessalonica, a violent place for Christians, where there was physical hostility and persecution. Into this situation, we discover Paul’s encouragement to a church under pressure, not to remove the difficulties but to see God in them.

FORWARD IN PRAYER

Paul writes knowing they are under attack; he prays not for relief from troubles, but for power in their lives. The success of the early church was no accident; it was a result of commitment to prayer.

We believers of today also have a great need to pray in this way. The early church prayed in the face of persecution. What does that say to us as we face difficult situations?

Active oppression is not something we are familiar with; total indifference is. When individually and as a church we face problems, is prayer our first reaction to these problems?

Paul, aware that his friends are in trouble, does not offer correction, but praise. ‘Your faith is growing abundantly,’ he says. Growth, even in pain. Not only was their faith growing, but their love was increasing. In times of difficulty, it’s easy to turn inward. These believers loved each other more, not less. That challenges us today: are we known for our perseverance when following Christ costs us something?

GOD’S JUSTICE WILL BE REVEALED

Paul then shifts from encouragement to perspective. The suffering of believers is not meaningless. It may be unsettling, but Paul reminds us Jesus will be revealed ‘powerful and glorious from heaven’. For those who trust him, it will be a day of wonder.

His love is such that, even in sad situations, we can find that he makes them feel peaceful. Because God’s justice will be discovered.

GOD TAKES THE INITIATIVE (v11-12)

God had an agenda in mind when he called us. Christianity begins with God, not us. He takes the initiative. He makes the first move.

Paul ends with a prayer. He doesn’t offer theology; he intercedes. He prays that God would make them worthy of their calling. Not that they must earn it, but live in line with what God has called them to. God wants us to give ourselves to him, so Paul prays that he will make us worthy to walk with him, to radiate the breath-taking brilliance of the beauty of Jesus.

In Germany, there’s a drinking fountain with the inscription ‘Come and drink’. The problem is that when you come closer, you discover there’s no tap, no lever, no handle on it. Some people give up and go away frustrated and thirsty. The secret is you have to lean forward in faith, and at that moment a hidden beam will be broken, and a jet of water will spurt up to drink.

Do we sometimes hold back from giving everything to him because we give up too easily? God wants to see the Jesus life being lived out, in and through us.

Paul prays they would live by God’s power, not their strength. All of this has one great purpose: that the name of Jesus would be glorified in them. This call to worthy living is a prayer that God would make us well-intentioned in living by his power so that Christ is glorified both in us and we in him.

Our faith should be flourishing. The initial seed of faith received when we first became Christians should now be exploding with growth as our faith should always be growing more and more each day.

Central to all that has been said is Paul’s example of a prayer to encourage the believer to persevere, a call to live by God’s power for his glory. Somebody once said: ‘Prayer is not so much me bringing God into my world to solve my problems, as it is God taking me into his world to serve his purposes.’

We live in the tension between the suffering now and the glory to come. Like the Thessalonians, we wait for Jesus to return, to set all things right. But while we wait, we are called to grow in faith, increase in love, and persevere under pressure.

So we must stay faithful because he sees us, he is with us, and he will return. So we live by his power and for his glory.