Day 2 of Paul's prayer reading plan.

       As a church family at Bethel Baptist church in Brookings, SD we are spending the next two weeks reading through most of the prayers of Paul.  Each day I will share my thoughts and reflections on here the day after the reading.  The encouragement was that we would read the assigned passages, write down some observations about what we read, and use those prayers to help us in our prayers that day.  Tuesday's readings were Romans 15: 5-6, Romans 15:30-33.

Romans 15:5-6, 

"May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one-another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."  

       Paul frequently in his written prayers includes aspects of who God is.  This prayer is no different as we see that he declares God to be the God of endurance and the God of encouragement.  Great descriptors of our God.  It would be worthwhile to spend time thinking about how God being a God of endurance and encouragement should impact your life.  After declaring two aspects of who God is, Paul asks that God would grant the believers in Rome to live in such harmony with one another that in accord with Christ Jesus, that together they may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Paul here (and in a couple other places) prays for the unity, harmony, and love amongst believers.  While this is indeed a global picture of love for all follower of Jesus in all places, it it primarily practiced and lived out in our local church amongst the brothers and sisters in Christ that we see regularly.  The glory and worship of God is at stake in our ability (or inability) to live in harmony with one another.  With what is at stake it should not be surprising that satan often attacks to divide the unity and harmony of believers which is why Paul, and we, ought to make praying for the love and unity of believers a priority in our prayer life.  Pray for the harmony and unity of your local church.  Pray for the harmony and unity of the Gospel proclaiming churches in your community.  Pray that if you need to do some work to restore unity in your church community that you would do that for the glory and worship of God.   

Romans 15:30-33

"I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.  May the God of peace be with you all.  Amen."  

       Here we get a glimpse of what Paul was asking the church in Rome to pray for him.  He asks that he would be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea who were seeking to destroy Paul and his ministry.  He asks that his ministry would be acceptable to the believers in Jerusalem, and that soon he would be able to come and be with the believers in Rome.  I would encourage you to spend some time here praying for the leaders of the churches and ministries that you are involved with.  

Let me know what you are learning, and how Paul's prayers are impacting your prayers.