“To this end we always pray for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power.”
(2 Thessalonians 1:11)
God’s eternal purpose toward His people is both gracious and good in every sense of the word. The apostle calls it “the good pleasure of His goodness.” All that proceeds from the divine will toward the elect is laced with holy benevolence. That includes the gifts of salvation, sanctification, perseverance, and even the hardships that refine and conform us to Christ. Because of this, we must learn to trust the goodness of God, even when we cannot trace His hand.
Yet in our weakness, we often pray for relief, prolonging of life, escape from suffering—temporary benefits which are not wrong to desire but which often obscure the greater good God wants to work in us. This is why we must grow in maturity, conforming our prayers not to our desires but to God’s revealed will.
David understood this well. God commanded him to walk in all His ways; therefore, David prayed, “O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes” (Psalm 119:5). Here David teaches us that we may boldly ask God to help us do what He requires. If He commands love, we may ask Him to kindle it. If He commands fear, we may ask Him to plant it deep within. Such prayers are not presumptuous; they exhibit faith and obedience.
We are likewise instructed to pray God’s promises. Peter tells us these are “exceeding great and precious,” designed to make us “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). And what has God promised? Grace, glory, wisdom, sanctification, protection, joy, and Himself. “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).
All such prayer must be offered in the name of Christ, by the power of the Spirit.[1] To pray in Christ’s name is not to add a phrase to the end of our speech; it is to approach the throne boldly because of His righteousness, to trust His mediation, to rest on His intercession, and to plead His merit. Prayer apart from Christ is nothing. But prayer in Christ is mighty. “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you” (John 16:23).
Therefore, let us be assured. If we pray according to God’s will, in the name of the Son, by the help of the Spirit, then we have the ear of God. “This is the confidence we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us” (1 John 5:14).
Contemplations:
- I cannot come without Christ. Were it not for Christ, I could not come to God. I could not speak to Him, much less be heard. But because Christ is my Mediator, I can draw near. Let me be ever mindful that His name alone grants me access.
- I cannot pray without the Spirit. I lack wisdom to know how I should pray. But the Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words. He knows the mind of God and aligns my heart with it. I need His illumination, His prompting, His comfort. Let me never attempt prayer without seeking His aid.
- My mind is easily scattered. I am burdened by so many things—family, church, the world, my soul, enemies, authorities. And yet I forget to pray as I ought. I must bring these concerns daily, reverently, to God, knowing that He remembers even when I forget. Help me grow in discipline and faithfulness through prayer.
- I want to pray for God’s glory first. It is easy to focus only on my needs and the needs of others. But I am told to pray chiefly for the kingdom, the will of God, and His glory among men. I must remember that prayer is not a tool to get my will done in heaven, but His will done on earth.
Prayer (Confession):
Almighty God, holy and righteous, who sits enthroned in glory and dwells in unapproachable light, we confess our unworthiness to come before You. In ourselves, we are full of weakness, sin, distraction, and pride. Yet by Your mercy, You have opened the way through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Great High Priest, to grant us access to Your throne of grace.
We confess that we often pray amiss… asking for things that are passing and forgetting those that are eternal. We have trusted in our own words rather than resting in the intercession of Christ. We have neglected Your promises, doubted Your goodness, and let our affections wander when they should have been fixed on You.
Lord, forgive us for coming in our own name rather than in the name of Your Son. Forgive us for speaking lightly of holy things, for seeking our comfort more than Your glory, and for praying with lips while our hearts were far from You. Forgive our coldness in devotion, our laziness in intercession, our doubt in supplication.
We confess that we have not desired Your will above our own. When we have known what You require, we fail to ask for strength to do it. When we have known Your promises, we fail to plead them. When we have known Your commands, we have not obeyed them. Forgive us for our prayerlessness, and forgive our self-righteousness when we have prayed.
O Lord, teach us how to pray. Teach us to seek first Your kingdom and righteousness. Teach us to ask boldly for the things You love to give: wisdom, holiness, perseverance, peace, and power. Teach us to pray in the name of Christ—not only saying His name, but trusting His person, resting on His work, and relying on His intercession.
Send forth Your Spirit into our hearts, that we may cry, “Abba, Father.” Let Him help our infirmities. Let Him teach us how to ask, how to wait, and how to believe. May He stir us to daily communion, continual dependence, and joyful obedience.
Restore to us the joy of praying. Let us not see it as burden but delight. Let us come to You in weakness, that You may show us Your strength. Let us come in confusion, that You may give wisdom. Let us come in sorrow, that You may give comfort. Let us come as children, loved and heard.
We know that You are able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. And so we confess our sin, but we confess it with hope that is rooted in the finished work of Christ and the sure promise of Your grace.
Receive our confession, Lord, not for anything in us, but for the sake of Jesus Christ, in whose name we offer all our praise and prayer.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further References for 2 Thessalonians 1:11
Colossians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:2–3; 2 Thessalonians 1:5; Romans 1:9; Romans 15:14; Philippians 1:9.
[1] Believers “are influenced not to draw nigh to God in their own Names, emboldened by their own Goodness; but only in the Name of Christ, DEPENDING ENTIRELY upon him, and EMBOLDEN’D ONLY by his worth and merits, mediation and intercession, to look for acceptance in the sight of God. Hence, because of this dependance, they are said to pray in Christ’s Name. John 16:23. To have access to God by him. Eph. 2:18. To come to God through him. Heb. 7:25. To believe in God by him. 1 Peter 1:21. And are represented as being EMBOLDENED by his worth and merits, mediation and intercession, to approach the majesty of Heaven. Heb. 4:16. and 10:19. And now this is called a coming to Christ. John 7:37.” Jonathan Edwards, True Religion Delineated, (Boston: Printed and sold by S. Kneeland, in Queen-Street, 1750), 395–396.
