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Pastor's Blog March 17, 2022
"Paul's Third Prayer"
For the past two weeks, we've been looking at two prayers Paul prays about the second coming of Jesus in 1 Thessalonians 3:11-12. These prayers have primarily considered the imperative to love those around us in light of God's love for us. This week we will look at the final prayer Paul prays about the second coming of Jesus, expressed in 1 Thessalonians 3:13, "May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones" (NIV).
In this prayer, Paul requests two pieces of preparation for the Thessalonians. First, Paul wants the Thessalonians to be "blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father." From the context of verses 11 and 12, it is evident that the kind of blamelessness and holiness Paul has in mind flows out of and mirrors the "increase and overflow" of love that has so far occupied his attention. And the word "presence" literally means "in front of," which conveys the idea of your life always being lived under the watchful gaze of a father, master, king, or some other guardian who loves you and cares how your life turns out.
Second, Paul matches the coming of Jesus with his own ability to come to the Thessalonians. In verse 11, Paul prayed that God the Father and Jesus would make a way for the apostle and his companions to come to the Thessalonians; in verse 13, Paul prays that God the Father and Jesus will strengthen the Thessalonians so they will be ready when Jesus comes to them.
Friends, Jesus is coming regardless of your plans. The best twofold preparation for that arrival is to let the Father make you holy and blameless (because we constantly live our lives in his presence anyway), and to let Jesus come for you (since only he can actually bring us to himself).
God bless,
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
