PAUL'S PRAYER FOR THE PHILIPPIANS - PART 2
FRIDAY 26 MAY 2023
Through his intercessory prayer and thanksgiving to God, Paul demonstrated his commitment to the progress of the Philippian saints who were functioning in uncommon grace. More below!
Reference: Philippians 1:3-5 The Message (MSG) "Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God's Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present."
I'm forever grateful to God for the kind of heart Paul had for the saints at Philipi; he was totally sweet and unselfish towards them. However today, we shall discuss in details, the first, second and third line of our referenced Scripture, which I personally call "triple action" and that is: "Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart."
The first line is: "Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God."
"Every time you cross my mind" is a realisation of God's abiding presence in the lives of the Philippian saints. They didn't often cross his mind for nothing. Understand that Paul was spiritually minded. So he knew that God was working mightily in their lives; as a result, his joyful state of mind concerning them intensified his interest in them. His breaking out in exclamation of thanks to God is symbolic of attitude of reverence to God for what He was doing in their lives.
The second line is: "Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer."
In other words, his joyous exclamation interrelates with a heartfelt prayer for them. Being spiritually minded, Paul had to translate his expression of joy to language of prayer, which transcends the human nature. He didn't have to go to the pub to drink beer in order to celebrate them. Got it? As a spiritual man, he decoded the euphoric and ecstatic message that came to his mind about them, and then translated it to a priestly function, which is a sensitive and intelligent transmission in the spiritual realm.
The third line is: "I find myself praying for you with a glad heart."
This is a statement of affirmation denoting that indeed, he was praying for them. It wasn't a statement of promise; it was a monumental reality. He wasn't deceiving them; he practicalized the prayer of intercession on their behalf. In addition, he was praying for them with a pure sense of intention, which is a glad and cheerful heart. He wasn't cursing them in his prayer; he wasn't praying for them grudgingly or just to fulfil all righteousness. He was genuinely interested in their spiritual progress, well-being and flourishing, and so, he expressed it through the mindfulness of gladsome prayer.
According to our referenced verse, the last statement says, "I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God's Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present." In other words, Paul acknowledged their tremendous impact and consistency in partnering with him in spreading the Good News about Christ, as a great treasure and blessing.
Beloved, why not make it a habit to pray and intercede for other saints when you remember them? As a born again Christian, can you confidently and sincerely say this concerning your fellow Christians: "Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy?" Stay tuned for part 3. Shalom!
Scripture Reading - Numbers 6:24-26; 2 Corinthians 1:11; Colossians 4:2; Galatians 6:2.
Guided Prayer: Gracious Father, you have laid down great principles in your Word, which I continually function by, in accordance with the abundance of grace I receive in Christ. Therefore, no matter the times and seasons, I will intercede for fellow saints and loved ones throughout the long stretches of years in my lifetime in Jesus, name, Amen!
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