Deeper Reflection
WHEN PAUL RECEIVED THE GOOD NEWS OF THE SUFFERING Thessalonians still standing firm in the Lord (vv.6-8), he “pray[ed] most earnestly day and night” that God will “direct” his way to them for a face-to-face filling up of “what is lacking” in their faith (1 Thess 3:10-11). Paul prayed that God will “direct” his way to the Thessalonians because “Satan hindered” him in his earlier attempts (1 Thess 2:18). That Paul prayed “most earnestly day and night”, shows that the face-to-face filling up of “what is lacking” in the Thessalonians’ faith was a critical and urgent matter.Did God answer Paul’s prayer? For the moment, no. Did God not have the sense of urgency as Paul? Did God not see Paul’s request as critical for the Thessalonians’ faith? As some weeks or months went by, news reached Paul in Corinth that “matters had got worse”⁵⁸ in the church in Thessalonica. Paul must have wished that he could go to Thessalonica to deal with the pastoral situation personally. But he could not. And God had not answered his prayer to “direct” his way to them, despite praying “most earnestly day and night”. And so, for now, all Paul could do was to write to the Thessalonians a second letter, 2 Thessalonians, to address the “matters had got worse” situation.God did answer Paul’s prayer though, but “only about five years later when Paul visited Macedonia twice towards the end of his third missionary journey (Acts 20:1-3).”⁵⁹ In His love and wisdom, God “gives what is good to those who ask Him” (Matt 7:11).

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⁵⁸ John R. W. Stott, 140 ⁵⁹ John R. W. Stott, 67