Strength #6 — Strengthening Prayer

Not all have faith; therefore pray that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men. But the Lord is faithful, who will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:2–3

It seems obvious that not everyone knows and trusts God. So why bring it up? We need to be reminded because the strength to resist evil people and their mentor, Satan, comes in answer to prayer. We must pray for one another and for ourselves, because prayer connects the victory of our faith with the faithfulness of our God. Both our ability to cling to God during a storm of abuse, and our expectation that Satan will not destroy us, depend on God’s work. When we remain faithful to Christ as a result of prayer, that answered prayer strengthens our certainty of God’s trustworthiness, and causes us to love him more. The God who raised Jesus from the dead can strengthen those who hope in him. The Evil One tries to convince us that God is not for us, that he is not able to secure his promises, and that what he has promised is worthless. But the cross and the empty tomb vindicate his love, his power, his goodness, and his faithfulness, as do answers to prayer. So we are strongly encouraged to pray and to expect strength for the battle.

How glad I am, O Lord, that you are a prayer hearing God! For I need a stronger heart and protection from Satan’s darts. Move me to put on all my armor, so I can stand firm. Amen