The Necessity of God-Centered Prayer -- Clint Davis

Do you seek God’s direction in every aspect of your life? Or, do you have the same struggle as I do in which you make your decisions and then ask God to bless those decisions or to rescue from their consequences? 

If you had the chance to ask the Apostle Paul any one question, what would it be? Would it be theological? Would it practical? Would it be historical? 

Because of my pragmatic nature, I think I’d ask him to give me 3-4 things that a Christian should do to grow in his or her faith. 

Since I can’t ask him that question, I’ve thought about what actions he might identify as essential for a Christian to live a faithful life as I’ve worked my way through 1 Thessalonians with our congregation. I’ve concluded that he would say there are four things that we must do, in addition to placing our faith in Christ, in order to be faithful throughout our lives. They are: 

1. Read and believe the Bible (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
2. Live your life in accordance with the Bible’s instructions and in preparation for Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 3:13). 
3. Be an active member of the fellowship of believers — the Church (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2:14). 
4. Devote yourself to Prayer (1 Thessalonians 3:9; 5:11). 

Each of these actions is worthy of more than a mention, but I want to take this opportunity to focus on the last — devote yourself to prayer. Paul is certain that living a faithful Christian life is not possible without an active prayer life. This is evident in the testimony of his life as recorded in Acts and in each of his epistles. 

Think about 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13, for example. 

⁶But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— ⁷for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. ⁸For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. ⁹For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, ¹⁰as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?

¹¹Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, ¹²and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, ¹³so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. 

There are five specific ways that Paul prays in these 7 verses, but two stand out. Walk with me through them. 

First, Paul thanks God for His provision and blessing in his life (3:9). This blessing and provision is specifically related to the joy that Paul feels for the Thessalonians. Verses 6-7 of the passage above tell us about Timothy’s report to Paul and Silas regarding the good state of the Thessalonians’ spiritual lives. This good report brings Paul great joy. Therefore, the news of their spiritual growth defines God’s provision and blessing for Paul. He thanks God for the Thessalonians’ growth in grace, safety, and concern for him and his companions. 

Think about that for a moment. Paul does not equate blessing with material things. He does not equate it with physical health. And, he does not equate it with a life of comfort. Instead, he thanks God for the spiritual condition of the Thessalonians and their well-being in the midst of persecution. 

When is the last time you prayed a prayer of thanksgiving for the spiritual growth of other believers? If you are like me, the majority of your prayers of thanksgiving are for God’s material provisions, your good health, and the relative ease with which you live your life. Our prayer concerns and our thanksgiving to reflect the gods of our culture instead of our devotion to Christ. Wealth, health, and comfort are prominent. 

This ought not be the case. We should pray prayers that reflect the reorientation of our lives away from ourselves and this world and toward God and his kingdom. Paul is concerned with the things for which God is concerned, namely the display of His glory through the salvation of sinners and their spiritual growth in Christ. 

Are there people for whom you can give God thanks as you consider their salvation, spiritual growth, and steadfastness in the faith? Most assuredly there are. The challenge is taking the time to think about them when you pray, and then orienting yourself to make praying for them a priority. Let us consciously begin thanking God for the people in our lives who are growing in Christ. 

Second, Paul prayed for a God-directed path (3:11). Verse 11 in the above passage begins with a request that God direct Paul’s and his companions path to return to Thessalonica to visit with his beloved congregation. The significance of this prayer is clear when it is seen in contrast to the epistle’s previous section in which Paul maintains that Satan had “hindered” (2:18) his return for a visit. In addition, Paul asserts that Satan had inflicted persecution on the Church and was actively tempting the believers to give up the faith (3:3-9). In light of Satan’s opposition to God and the gospel, Paul prayed for God to open the way for him to return to Thessalonica. In essence, he prayed for God to defeat and remove their enemy and the obstacles he has placed before them. 

This prayer for a God-directed life convicts me because my natural tenor in prayer is for a God-rescued life. This means that I pridefully make my decisions and take actions upon them before I pray about them. This puts me in a position to ask for rescue more often than direction. I wonder if you do the same. 

Paul’s prayer here, though, is for God to direct his path, not to rescue him from the path he has chosen. This means that he pauses before taking action to seek the Lord’s guidance and direction. But, he’s not just praying for direction regarding his return to Thessalonica. He’s also asking for direction in the ordinary parts of his life. He wants God to direct every minor part of his life as well as the major ones. 

Do you do the same? Do you seek God’s direction in every aspect of your life? Or, do you have the same struggle as I do in which you make your decisions and then ask God to bless those decisions or to rescue from their consequences? 

May we learn to be like Paul and pursue a God-directed and Christ-oriented life. To do so, daily prayer is absolutely essential.