I was challenged by some prayers from the book of Second Thessalonians. How many other prayers have I read over without allowing myself to be challenged by them? Let me share these with you.
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. (2 Thess. 1:3 NIV)
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. (2 Thess. 2:13 NIV)
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. (2 Thess. 1:11 NIV)
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. (2 Thess. 3:16 NIV)
How does that peace come? By believing.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 15:13 NIV)
Do I pray this way for my fellow believers? Do I pray for the good things they do which have been prompted by faith in Jesus? Do I know the joy of peace is found in believing Jesus?