Twin City church of Christ Blog
“Sept 16, 2024 - Strive Together With Me”
Categories: 2024 Reading DevotionalsStrive Together with Me
Reading: Romans 15:22-33
In this section Paul explains his travel plans and preaching philosophy: “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation”(Rom 15:20). This desire to plow new ground in the gospel means that he has not yet been able to visit Rome. “This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions…I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain”(Rom 15:22-23, 24). But for the moment, he is going to Jerusalem to bring the gift the Gentile churches are giving to their needy Jewish brothers (Rom 15:25-28).
We know that this gift is heavy on Paul’s mind from the many times he mentions it to the Corinthians (1 Cor 16:1-4, 2 Cor 8-9). Here he channels his anxiety into requests for prayer. “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company”(Rom 15:30-32). He asks for the Romans to “strive together with me” by praying. He asks for prayers for his safety, for the reception of his gift, and for his subsequent travel plans. All these justifiable concerns are not just the topics of Paul’s prayers; he also asks the Romans to pray with him.
The vivid words “strive together with me” remind us that prayer is a way we join in the good fight with other Christians. Paul speaks of prayer as having real power to change God’s mind and thereby change the world in which we live. He may even be thinking of Jacob striving with God until he received a blessing (Gen 32:24-28). We may not be able to be physically present when other brothers need us. We may not have the power to change anything about the situation ourselves. We may struggle to have words that will help. But we can all strive together in prayer so that God brings the blessings we seek.
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One Thing to Think About: What matters am I currently striving about in prayer?
One Thing to Pray For: A deeper sense of the power of prayer
