Deeper Reflection
WHEN WE IN FAITHFULNESS TO GOD ENDURE SUFFERING with “steadfastness and faith” (v.4), God in His “righteous judgment” will consider us worthy of His Kingdom (v.5), and He will vindicate us by judging the enemies of God (vv.6-9) and Christ glorifying Himself in us at His Second Coming (v.10). And Paul responds to this glorious ultimate reality with prayer – “To this end we always pray for you” (v.11).In the light of “you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God” (v.5), Paul prays “that our God may make you worthy of His calling” (v.11a). The former is the purpose of God and the latter is prayer to God for the fulfilment of the divine purpose. This is about our worthiness – the worthiness before God that comes from God. This worthiness from God is “the biblical version of how Christians are to have a good ‘self-image’”²¹. Our worthiness is our significance. There is nothing in us or anything that we can do to attain this worthiness. It is purely a gift of God’s grace to us. We have worthiness because God considers us worthy and makes us worthy of Him and His calling for us. Our worthiness from God enables us to live by this theological perspective: “the world is not worthy” of us (Heb 11:38).There is the human part in our worthiness from God: “Walk in a manner worthy of God” (1 Thess 2:12; Eph 4:1). For this, we pray to “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all Spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Col 1:9-10).

---

²¹ G. K. Beale, 194