Romans 1:8-10
"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness whom i serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed to coming to you."Paul includes a prayer near the beginning of most of his letters, the book of Romans is no exception. This prayer is proclaiming his thanksgiving for the faith of the believers in Rome and his prayer expressing his desires to be able to go and spend time with them.
Romans 10:1
"Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved."
In context Paul is praying specifically here for the Jewish people who have rejected their messiah (just as Paul previously had done as well before he encountered Jesus Christ). Yes, we too should be praying for the salvation of others both in big categories, like Paul is here praying for an entire nation, and also individually for those whom we know personally who have not put their faith in Jesus Christ. Who are you praying for that they would be saved? Keep praying for them.
Romans 15:13
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."
This prayer is short but packed full with so much that jumps out at me. First, God is described as as the God of hope and Paul is praying that the God of hope would fill the believers in Rome (and us) with all joy and peace. Who doesn't want ALL joy and peace? Notice that Paul indicates where that joy and peace come from. They come from believing in the God of hope. So what is the result of believing in the God of hope? It is joy, peace, and through the power of the Holy Spirit the prayer is that you and I may ABOUND in hope! I want to abound in hope! Don't you? That is what Paul is praying for the believers In Rome and what a great prayer that we can be praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ and for ourselves. Joy, peace, and abounding hope are all available to us through the power of the Holy Spirit because the God in whom we have believed in and surrendered our lives to He is the God of hope. Where do you need hope, joy, and peace in your life? Pray this passage. Where do your brothers and sisters in Christ need hope, joy, and peace? Pray this passage for them.
Family Devotions
We are going to try our best to read and pray these verses every night as a part of our family devotions at home. Our family devotions tonight were a bit chaotic! We usually use a globe that we spin to determine which country we will pray for that night. Well, tonight our 1 year old was playing with the globe while we were reading the prayers of Paul and the globe came off its holder and went rolling across the floor like a basketball which led to eruptions of laughter with our kids! Needless to say it was a struggle to get them back after that. We read the three passages, talked a little about what is hope, we spun the globe (after it was reassembled by my wife) and it landed on China. We talked briefly about China (using the book Operation World) and than we went around the room praying for China using the prayers of Paul. Specifically praying that more people in China would be saved, and that our brothers and sisters in Christ there would be abounding in hope regardless of their earthly circumstances.
What are you learning? What is sticking out to you? What are you praying?
See you tomorrow!
