Pondering the Word – 1/2 Thessalonians Blessings

ponderingtheword2There is lots of good stuff in First and Second Thessalonians – but I have always been drawn to the impromptu blessings that Paul gives in these 2 epistles. Here they are:

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13
12 
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

2 Thessalonians 3:16
16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

I will often use these to help me pray for other other people. There seems to be a Pauline blessing for pretty much any circumstance that people are dealing with. I just personalize them as I am praying. This is an easy way to pray the Scriptures. For instance, if I was praying for my friend Louie, who’s life had been turned upside down because of a job loss or marriage difficulty or health issues I might pray 2 Thessalonians 3:16 like this…

“Father, on behalf of Louie, because You are the Lord of peace, I ask that You would be his peace and give him peace as he deals with _____________. May he recognize that You are with him throughout every step of the day.”

Here are a few more of Paul’s blessings that I will use as I pray:

Romans 15:13

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 13:20-21 (may or may not be of Paul)

20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

And here is one that I made up based on the way I saw Paul blessing the people that he cared about:

May the God of all joy fuel your soul with the hope of the glorious gospel and fill you with an abiding sense of His presence. And may you be refreshed by His Spirit as you trust in Him to satisfy your every desire and need.

 

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