Encouraging Faith

When I read this I’m overawed by the faithfulness of Paul in his prayers. The Christians there had not come to faith through Paul, and he had not met most of them. Yet he never stopped praying for them.

How often do we allow the pressures of life to become an excuse for our lack of prayer? Yet look at Paul. He had stresses of all kinds. How often do our prayers centre around our own needs and those of people we are close to? Paul prayed for Christians everywhere to grow in faith.

He also prayed for a very practical matter—that God would make it possible for him to visit them so that they could be encouraged by sharing their faith. This would be particularly meaningful to him since they had become Christians quite apart from him, and their faith would not reflect anything that he had taught them. Notice, too, how inclusive he is here. He has no desire for a homogeneous church. The richness of God’s grace is seen in the variety of people who believe and come together around Jesus Christ. Is your church like that?

God answered his prayers, and he did go to Rome, but not under the circumstances he may have imagined when he wrote this letter. Paul was arrested in Jerusalem. After two years in prison, he had the opportunity to appeal to Caesar. He was taken to Rome as a prisoner.

The full story is much more complicated and exciting than that. You can read it in Acts 21:27-28:31. The last we hear of Paul he was staying in a rented house in Rome and welcomed “all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” (Acts 28:31).

Respond in Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for Paul and his courage and commitment. Thank you for all that he did and all that he wrote. All these years later we benefit directly from this. Show us how we can play our part in passing on your story. Amen.

Rob Longley, Annabel Robinson