Paul the apostle began his
letter to the church in Philippi with a statement as to who he and
Timothy were - “servants of Jesus Christ”. He then
directed his attention toward the “saints, bishops and deacons”
who were there and greeted them with two common greetings for that
day - “grace and peace”. He then let them know that he
prayed for them every time he remembered them, and in chapter one and
verse four he told them what his demeanor was when he prayed. He
wrote:
Always in every prayer
of mine for you all making request with joy,
The
verse begins, “Always in every prayer of mine...” Let us
notice first the word “Always” which denotes a continuum,
a pattern or a manner of cadence. It wasn't just every now and then
or sometimes, but “always in every prayer of mine” that
Paul directed his attention toward them. In other words, Paul
continually had the people who were in the church at Philippi in his
mind.
The
verse goes on to say, “...for you all making request with joy,”
Notice too that his prayer was “for you all” or for
the people within the church, and no one was excluded. Paul didn't
make preferential prayers for one part of the church and neglect
another. No, rather, his prayer was all inclusive, for every person,
and without regard to rank or privilege. Also, Paul shared his
attitude in prayer - “making request with joy”. The idea
of “joy” is “gladness or cheer” is a theme shared
throughout the book of Philippians, and whenever Paul the apostle
made “request” in prayer on behalf of the church in
Philippi, he did so with a joyful heart, glad mind, and a cheering
spirit.
When we
pray for people we know, do we make requests for them with joy? Are
we glad in heart when we think of those for whom we pray? Perhaps as
we think about Paul's words to the Philippians, we will be inspired
in our prayers for others. It might benefit us to practice this sort
of joy when we pray for others we know, and may the Lord help us all
to be more joyful as we make our requests for them.
Next
time we will see why Paul was so joyful for the church of Philippi,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want
to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on
the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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