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1 The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. 2 Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. 3 This is the way our Savior God wants us to live. 4 He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we've learned: 5 that there's one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us - Jesus, 6 who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. 7 This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth. (1 timothy 2:1-7 The Message Bible)
Dear Friend, do you pray for people that you know? Of course, right! Do you pray for people you DON'T know? Well, of course you should! I pray that this bring blessings to your life and the lives of those you love, and even the ones who don't love you back. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.
It just struck me that Paul the Apostle is featured almost every week in the Lectionary. The Epistle section of each week's readings features at least his writings every time. Talk about the impact one man had because he believed and said yes to God. It's incredible. As Nellie and I go over the photos we took in Greece, we pause to review the evidence we find in each of how Paul turned everything upside down. We visited the rich, exciting city of Corinth and Ephesus (which was known as the Las Vegas of its day), and Paul boldly prayed, and spoke on behalf of Jesus. Now Greece counts Paul as the 12th Disciple, who replaced Judas Iscariot. The Western Church does not agree, but this is the impact this one evangelist had on the entire nation and the entire Eastern Church. He is seen as the founder of that church.
We must listen to his advice. Read verse one again. "The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know." I've shared how one church member in a former church angrily quit my devotional because I was asking prayers for people she didn't know. I replied that God knows them and who knows, when you get to Heaven, they may be among the crowd waiting to thank you for your prayers. Paul says we should pray for everyone, as the original versions says. We should pray for presidents, kings, prime ministers and governments; our prayers asking for those conditions that allow us to work for Jesus in getting to know Him and to come to Him; for God wants all people to come to Him. Jesus' example was to set free from sin all who were imprisoned. The "news" is going to get out, and people will know about God. And this all will start with prayer. Paul's work was based on the foundation of prayer as should be ours. We pray from and for, a simple faith, in hopes that all will come to know the love of God.
PRAYER: Loving God, bring blessings to my life as I pray. May my prayers be for all people, especially those in need. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that He may guide me to faithfulness in my prayer life. This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a person of prayer in ways that bless you and yours.
Blessings of love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
