Deeper Reflection
PAUL PRAYS FOR THE THESSALONIANS FOR DIVINE encouragement and divine empowerment as they endure affliction and encounter deception: That God will “encourage your hearts and strengthen you” (v.17, NIV). Paul’s prayer is anchored in God’s promises. In the salvation of God that Paul gives thanks for is God fulfilling His promises of His choice and calling of us, with the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work in us in our discipleship journey that will end in sharing in Christ’s glory at His coming (vv.13-14). “God’s promises are the only ground of our assurance that God will answer our prayers. Prayer is not a way of inducing God to do what He has said He will not do; it is the God-appointed way of enabling Him to do what He has promised to do and enabling us to inherit His promises. God’s promises and our prayers must not be separated.”¹⁵God “has given” us “eternal encouragement and good hope” (v.16, NIV), and so, we ask God to “encourage and strengthen” us inwardly “in every good work and word” (v.17) – “the outward and public evidence of the inward strength”¹⁶. We need encouragement when we are discouraged. We need hope when we are in “hope against hope” situations (Rom 4:18). God “has given” us “eternal encouragement and good hope” in the Scriptures: “whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the [eternal] encouragement of the Scriptures we might have [good] hope” (Rom 15:4). And standing in His Word, we pray to the God “who gives perseverance and encouragement” (Rom 15:5).

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¹⁵ John R. W. Stott, 179 ¹⁶ John R. W. Stott, 180