Often people associate the book of 2 Thessalonians with some aspect of the second coming of Christ, and they should. The opening chapter contains a summary of the eschaton complete with the destruction of the wicked and Christ glorified in His saints. All of this is not to mention the second chapter and the Man of Lawlessness, a moniker no one can easily forget. But, in fact, the book is built on another theme, which is prayer.

In the beginning of chapter 1, Paul writes, “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers.” He then goes on to unpack eschatological themes. These are followed by another occurrence of the previous verse in chapter 2:13: “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers.” In other words, the facts of the end should not preclude the oughtness of Paul giving thanks for fellow believers. That is a good word.

Before embarking on a section addressed to the idle in chapter 3, Paul takes a few verses to encourage the Thessalonians to pray for him and his companions. He writes, “Finally, brothers, pray for us” (3:1). Don’t miss the clarity of this message. Each of the three chapters mentions the giving and receiving of prayer. This is not a flippant or formal request. It is not a nicety. Paul is appealing to men who are in union with Christ, that they might take him and his friends into communion with Christ. That is to say, he longs for them to take him to the throne of grace in their daily exercises of godliness.

Paul believed what many say they believe. He believed that prayer was crucial to the success of his ministry. The great Puritan Thomas Watson understood the Apostle Paul’s point. When commenting on Peter’s release from prison in Acts 12, he wrote, “The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel.” Paul understood that prayer fetched a good many of the best things in his ministry.

But it is Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians 3:1–5 that feed our souls and give us instruction in our own prayer life. I’ll mention three points.

The Lord’s Instruction

In verses 1–3, we read Paul’s request. He asks the Thessalonians to pray that the Word of God might spread and be honored. Next, he asks them to pray that they might be delivered from wicked and evil men. Now, the careful reader will say to himself, “I have read these things before.” Indeed, Paul is drawing his petitions from the Lord’s prayer (Matt. 6:9–13). In fact, his desire to see God’s Word spread and honored is nothing more or less than the hallowing of Christ’s name and the spread of His kingdom. And the deliverance from evil is, well, deliverance from evil!

This is a lesson for us. Paul himself was a disciple of the Lord. His prayers model that discipleship, and so should ours. The Puritan Richard Sibbs wrote, “God can pick sense out of a confused prayer.” However, our prayers need not be confused. Christ has taught us to pray and we should listen to His teaching.

The Lord’s Encouragement

In verse 4, Paul writes, “We have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command.” How does Paul know? The answer is simple. It is because God is answering Paul’s prayers in the Thessalonian church. How do we know? Listen to 1 Thessalonians 3:12. There Paul prays, “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love one for an-other.” Now, that’s the prayer. The answer is recorded in 2 Thessalonians 1:3: “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers…because the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.” Clearly, Paul was taking the Thessalonian church to the throne of grace and God was answering.

The Lord’s Faithfulness

In 2 Thessalonians 3:5 we read, “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” Here Paul is asking that God would draw the Thessalonians into His love and Christ’s endurance. Some commentators think this is an odd request. However, to me it makes perfect sense. When I graduated from high school, I was directionless. It was then that I met a man who was a jeweler. I liked his personality and his way of working, so I decided to be a jeweler. There was only one problem. He did not want an apprentice! Paul was confident that God wanted the Thessalonians. He knew that God would draw them into His love and Christ’s endurance for them. And so, he prayed. So, too, should we.