Bible Study: Paul's Prayer For The Church | 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17.
- Karen O'Reilly
- Oct 25, 2023
- 5 min read
Welcome to Day 25. for one of our short powerful devotions from the 30 Bible Verses About God's Amazing Grace, bible reading plan. This short devotional is based on 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17.
Read 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 meaning
These beautiful bible verses are a prayer from the Apostle Paul. Paul always encouraged and taught the churches all about God's amazing grace for everyday living. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 is a prayer of blessing over the members of the church of the Thessalonica.
Here's a breakdown of its meaning:
Invocation of Both Jesus and the Father: The Apostle Paul invokes both Jesus Christ and God the Father in his blessing. This emphasizes the co-equality and co-eternity of the Father and the Son in Christian theology.
Divine Love and Gifts: The passage acknowledges God's love for believers, which is seen through the giving of "eternal comfort" and "good hope." These gifts are granted through divine grace, not human merit. "Eternal comfort" can be understood as the peace and assurance believers have because of their salvation and the promise of eternity with God. "Good hope" refers to the confident expectation of future blessings and ultimately, the return of Christ and the believer's final glorification.
Prayer for Comfort and Establishment: Paul's desire for the Thessalonians is twofold:
Comfort: He prays that they would be comforted in the midst of any trials, persecutions, or challenges they might be facing. This is a reminder that God is a source of solace and peace in the midst of life's storms.
Establishment: Paul prays that they would be established (strengthened, made firm) in every good work and word. This speaks to the believer's sanctification – the ongoing process of growing in holiness and maturity in the faith.
This blessing is for you and me today too!
Join me below as we unpack one of the many prayers of Paul.
Paul's Prayer For The Church
Paul's desire for all the churches that he taught in, was for them to mature in Christ and grow strong in their faith. He prayed often and continuously that the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father (Who loved us and gave us eternal encouragement by His grace), would encourage their hearts and strengthen their soul in every good thing they did and said.
These bible verses are so good to use to pray over your friends and family, and yourself! You could easily personalize it as a prayer to write in your prayer journal.
Truths found in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
God is our only source of hope and it is through God's amazing grace that we have the wisdom and strength to grow through all that we go through.
If you need some encouragement today, read 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 and take note of the following 9 truths:
We have direct access to God through Jesus Christ.
He is our God and Father.
He loves you and desires for you to come into His presence.
God promises His eternal comfort - that is never-ending!
God is the source of our endless hope.
He supplies His endless amazing grace.
He comforts our hearts.
He strengthens us in every good thing that we do.
He strengthens us in every good word that we say. Don't forget that our words are powerful!
God is the source of the strength and hope that you need for all the stress and trials that you go through in this life. You will gain this strength by spending precious time with your savior, Jesus Christ. As you spend time reading and praying through the Bible, you will grow in your intimacy with the Lord. You will recognize His voice and His direction.
Use the free guided prayer journal that you will find in the Resource Library or grab a notebook and use the following questions to enable you to unpack what God is saying to you through 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 today.
Today's devotional is based on 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 which is from our 30 Bible Verses About God's Amazing Grace, bible reading plan. You will find a free printable PDF of 30 scriptures about God's grace in the Resource Library. It has a bible reading plan, guided prayer, and gratitude journal. Download this free printable or grab a notebook.
What is God saying to you through this verse?
What burdens do you need to surrender to God and trust Him with?
Write out your prayer request.
What are you grateful for today? Count your blessings!
Write out the scripture verse, it helps you to memorize the scripture and store up God's truth in your heart. Then in the last section of the prayer journal, there is space to record what God is speaking to you through our grace bible verse for today, 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17.
Scripture Prayer 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
We are called to pray without ceasing. That means we can talk with God at any time and in any place. You can chat with God throughout the day! Praying scripture is a powerful way to pray so join me in praying 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17. I think it would be wonderful to personalize these verses as a prayer.
May the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God Your Father, -(name--)give you His grace, eternal comfort, and His wonderful hope. I pray that it will strengthen you for all the work that God has established for you to do and that He will give you His words to speak on every occasion. Amen.
Related Resources:
1. You will find 30 Bible Verses About God's Amazing Grace (Free Bible Plan And Prayer Journal)HERE It will have the list of 30 Bible verses that we are using for 30 days that our short powerful daily devotionals are based on.
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xx Karen.
