2 Thessalonians 3:1-5--Pray for Us

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
English Standard Version

Pray for Us
3 Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, 2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

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2 Thessalonians is a short letter (only 3 chapters long), which is why chapter 3 starts with the word "finally."  Paul wants to ask for the believers in Thessalonica to pray for him and his teammates that they would be successful in their spread of the gospel--that the Lord would bring success to them and that He would be honored among the Church through the work that Paul and his teammates were doing.

They also want to pray that they will be delivered from the evil men that seek to do them harm with their evil schemes.  These men have been following them to cause trouble from them from the very start and the devil has stirred up the hearts of evil men in every town they have visited (it seems often times that God uses this opposition to tell Paul and his team that it is time to move on to somewhere else, but they stay as long as it is peaceful).  Paul says they must keep preaching the Word despite these evil men because not all men have the same faith that can save them.  

Paul reminds them in their prayers that it is the Lord Himself who has promised to be faithful to accomplish His work in and through us.  Even if something happens to Paul and his team, the Lord will still provide for and protect His Church--He is the Good Shepherd of His sheep.  We should not look to men to take the place of God in these areas, for that is a form of idolatry.  Likewise, Paul and his team had full confidence in the Lord that He would bring the Christians at Thessalonica to full maturity and make them in the image of Christ and that they would walk in the works that the Lord Jesus had prepared for them.  They were already being obedient to the Lord, and Paul had faith they would continue to do so.  Paul's last request is that their love for the Lord remains strong and continues to grow and remains steadfast--that they don't just obey out of duty or obligation, but that they continue to love Him and that love drives them to action and service.