Paul's Prayers
"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God" (Phil. 1:9-11).
This prayer is for the Christians in Philippi. Notice the content and the strength of the prayer. Paul’s prayer is that the love they have would be increasingly abundant and that its quality would be in real knowledge and in all discernment. With this discernment, “they would be pure and blameless until the day of Christ”—in other words, they would be without sin until the day of Christ. Jesus Christ has filled them with the fruit of righteousness to the praise and glory of God.
Paul follows up by prayer requests. “For I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death” (Phil. 1:19-20). Paul is requesting prayer for deliverance and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. He requests that he would be blameless and have boldness (courage).
In the Lord Jesus Christ,
Jim Wilson |
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