I Thessalonians 5 - "When We Pray"

Yesterday my day started off with the song "When We Pray" in my mind and it continued all day long. There were so many things to pray for throughout the day. I thought of Paul's words in I Thessalonians 5 where he tells them to "pray without ceasing" (vs 17). This chapter tells us to be watchful for the the day of the Lord is near. I love verses eight through ten. It reads:

But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

Woo hoo! Living with Him for eternity is my goal. These verses clearly tell us to have faith and His love so we can have the hope of being saved with Him. Paul tells us earlier in the chapter to not live in darkness. We need to fight the enemy with every aspect of our being when he comes knocking at our door. We need to stay strong in our faith when it seems like our world is crumbling around us. He tells us in verse two "...that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night" (NKJV). We must be ready at all time for His return. We must not allow the enemy to trip us up but instead stand in the Lord's ways. As we do this, we must follow the ways of verses fourteen and fifteen. "...warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all." Paul continues with encouraging us to "not quench the Spirit...despise prophecies...test all things; hold fast what is good...abstain from every form of evil" (vs 19-22). These are all things believers need to remember. As we do these things, we will receive His peace.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the many opportunities to pray yesterday for people going through difficult situations. Some of them are in relationship with while others are not. First, and foremost, I pray for their souls. I pray someone will say or do something to them that will open their eyes to You. Secondly, I pray for those who are in relationship with You to depend upon Your strength. I pray their faith will go deeper and their trust will become greater. Father, I also pray for a cleansing in my soul so You can take me deeper in my relationship with You. I pray for more of You and less of me. I pray for Your strength to be my strength. Father, go before me today and open my eyes up to opportunities You have for me. Bless me in abundance with Your love so You will ooze out of me in a mighty way. May You also bless my unspoken request today. Thank You Father for being My Hope. Amen.