Holy Trinity Bukit Bintang
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Lent Devotion

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"At the Foot of the Cross" is an annual Lenten devotion written by clergy and lay leaders in the Anglican Diocese of West Malaysia. This devotion has been faithfully produced since 1992 and this year's theme is on 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Join us as we journey together towards the foot of the cross.

 
 

22 March - We Constantly Pray for You

 

“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

 

As a young Christian, I remember going through prayer calendars for missionary organisations and for missionaries. I would tick them off as I went along. Fast forward thirty years and now my prayers are for my family and my church community; the areas of ministry of which I am involved with. Occasionally, I would go online to missionary organisations like Operation World, Teachers’ Christian Fellowship and Scripture Union and catch up on their news and pray for their needs. There is a lot we can learn from Paul about prayer today.

Paul’s prayers for the Thessalonians are constant. He prays for them to be worthy of God’s calling. This is such a tangible expression of love. As Christians we are called to be like Christ. It is a lifelong process which begins when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. Can you recall the moment you first surrendered your life to God? Paul writes to the Thessalonians appealing for them to not be idle. Some had stopped working because they thought that Jesus had already come again. Paul reminds them that ever since God has called them, he has been working in them in order that they are worthy of his calling. This means we cannot become complacent; we need to live a life worthy of the calling we have received.

Paul’s prayers for the Thessalonians are informed. Although Paul is not there in person, he is fully aware of their growing faith and perseverance under persecution. Paul is able to continue to minister to the Thessalonians. He prays that God would bring to fruition their every desire for goodness and every deed prompted by faith. He reminds them to follow his teaching so that they are not led astray by false teaching but instead are prompted by the Spirit to delight in doing good. In the same way, we need to pray that our minds and hearts are in tune with what God has called us to do, helping us to resolve issues in goodness and faithfully producing good work.

Paul’s prayers for the Thessalonians are purposeful. He prays for the name of Jesus to be glorified in their lives and them in him. Paul echoes the prayer of Jesus which he prayed for his disciples before his arrest. “All mine is yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them” (John 17:10). We need to pray for each other that people can see the glory of Jesus in our lives today. It is a process that must begin now if it is to be brought to its proper end when Jesus comes again.

PONDER

Are you praying for others? If not perhaps during this season, you can ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to pray for a particular person or Christian organisation? Do you have anyone praying for you? Perhaps you can join a prayer group or even start one? We need to pray for God’s power.

PROMISE

“For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7) Prayer needs self-discipline. The Holy Spirit can infuse us with this spirit of love for others, for self-discipline to pray constantly, knowledgeably and purposefully until we see God’s power revealed in the lives of those we pray for.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, help us each day, especially during this season of Lent, to constantly lift our prayers up to fill the golden bowls of incense in heaven. Holy Spirit, empower us with the words to pray now. May the glory of our Lord Jesus be seen in our lives as we pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Article by Janet Clayton, Chairperson of the Board of Governors, Pudu English Secondary School, Kuala Lumpur and a final year seminarian at St Paul’s Theological College. She worships at All Souls’ International Community Church, Kuala Lumpur.

HTBB