Can you define silence? One might best describe silence by considering what silence is not. Silence is the absence of noise, of sound, of chaos.
How about freedom? Isn’t freedom best understood by contrasting it with what it is not. Freedom is the absence of control, confinement, oppression, or restrictions.
Likewise, we might learn about the depths of Paul’s prayer life by contemplating what he didn’t pray about. Paul didn’t pray for luxuries, for personal comfort, for riches, or for long life. He didn’t spend time talking to God about temporal matters, such as a bigger house, a faster car, his retirement account, or about a new pair of shoes. Paul didn’t pray for stuff.
Paul didn’t come into God’s presence with a laundry list of requests. He didn’t see God as a spiritual Santa Claus or a Genie in a bottle waiting to hear his three wishes. He didn’t come to God with demands or commands. Bertha has a broken toe… Harold has a wart on his nose… Timmy wants to play quarterback on the football team…
Paul did pray for himself, and he asked the Romans to pray with him. “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in prayers to God on my behalf” (Romans 15:30). Paul desired God’s protection so that he could complete his mission successfully, and that “by God’s will”(Romans 15:32) he could make his way to Rome to preach the Gospel. But, Paul didn’t pray that God would make his ministry easy, his life comfortable, or his message uncontested.
Yes, Paul prayed for himself. “So that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you’ ” (2 Corinthians 12:7–9). What was the thorn? No one knows. Maybe it was a physical infirmity. Maybe it was a temptation. Maybe it was a spiritual matter. Regardless, Paul prayed again, and again, and again.
It's not wrong to pray for physical needs. Jesus taught us to pray for “our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). But a study of Paul’s prayers, recorded for us in his epistles, will teach us that Paul was far less concerned about stuff than we usually are… Paul didn’t pray for stuff.
“… think on these things” (Philippians 4:8, KJV).
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