Sunday Devotional: Philippians 1:3-4

³ I give thanks to my God every time I remember you, ⁴ always making petition with joy, in every petition of mine on behalf of you all, in light of your participation in the gospel, from the beginning until now.

For our Sunday morning devotions, I want to start a series of thoughts from Paul’s epistle to the Philippians. Nothing too in-depth–just some things to ponder from the letter. The translation is my own, but feel free to look up the passages in your favorite version.

It goes without saying that Christians should be praying people. Prayer should be a regular part of our lives. When we pray, though, how often do we find ourselves praying about our own concerns? Don’t misunderstand, it’s important that we pray about the things that are important to us–especially the things that are of great concern (1 Peter 5:7). However, we should derive joy, as Paul did, by praying for other Christians in our lives.

Notice that Paul doesn’t say that he prays for them because they are sick, or because they asked for prayer. Certainly, he would have been praying for the sick, and for the church as a whole. But he prays for them because of their “participation in the gospel.” In other words, Paul prays for them out of joy that they are Christians. And he prays for them whenever they come to mind. These are the two thoughts I really want us to consider this morning: that Paul prayed for the Philippians out of joy over the fact that they were Christians, not because he felt obliged to pray for them; and he prayed for them whenever he thought about them.

What would Paul have prayed for? We don’t know. But I’m sure he would have thanked the Lord for them, perhaps prayed for individual needs of which he was aware. Given the situation of the church at that time, I don’t doubt he would have prayed for their physical well-being, and protection from those that seek to oppress them. He would certainly have prayed for the leadership of the church too (pastors always need prayer, both for encouragement, and for spiritual protection–just look at how many pastors’ failings have made the news this past year).

When we examine our own prayer lives, do we find ourselves praying for people out of obligation (“I told Mary I would pray for her, so I suppose I should…” “That presentation on the persecuted church made me feel guilty, so I guess I ought to pray for them…”)? Yes, we should pray for needs as they come to our attention, but is this the kind of prayer life we’re supposed to have, where it feels like a chore? I don’t believe so. If this is where you are with prayer, let me suggest a way to help us all bring some joy to our prayer lives.

Whenever you happen to think of someone you know is a Christan, whether it’s someone you know personally or not (but especially if it’s someone from your church), pray for them. It doesn’t have to be a long prayer, or a very specific prayer. Perhaps just a prayer that they would know God’s love for them in a special way that day, or that the Lord would bless and keep them. If you know of specific needs, pray for those. Like I said, it doesn’t have to be a long prayer: a “flash prayer” would do, lasting a few seconds. And you don’t even need to assume a praying posture (if you’re driving, you probably shouldn’t).

Let’s all try this and see how it affects a) our prayer life, and b) our relationship with those for whom we pray.

Have a blessed week! 🙂