Philippians 1:3-4 - Praying With Joy

Todaywe are continuing to look at Philippians 1:3- 4. In verse 3, Paul made thestatement, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” Then hecontinues in verse 4, “always in every prayer of mine, making requests foryou all with joy.” The apostle Paul makes it very clear that he prayed forpeople, and he prayed with joy. This is a very important detail. Sometimes whenwe pray, we can feel heavy. We pray about burdens and struggles and needs. ButPaul’s prayers for these believers were filled with joy. Whydid he pray that way? Because he knew that God was at work in their lives. Asyou read on through the book of Philippians, especially chapter 1, you see thathe remembered their faith, their growth, and their partnership in the gospel.These memories filled his prayers with joy. Noticesomething else that Paul said: he prayed for them always. Prayer was not anoccasional activity in Paul’s life; it was a constant habit. Imagine what ourchurches and our fellowships of believers would be like if we all prayed foreach other like that—praying regularly, praying joyfully, praying in faith thatGod is working in their lives. Iam convinced that one of the greatest gifts you can give someone is to pray forthem. I thank God for all the financial support people have given me as apastor over the years, and for all the wonderful gifts and kind things theyhave done. But, my friend, the best thing I tell them is this: when you prayfor me, I feel it. I know I am being strengthened. My faith is growing. I amable to stand against the evil that comes into my life. Your prayers make adifference in my life. I thank you for those prayers more than anything else.That is what Paul gave to others. That is the greatest gift you can give toothers. Bythe way, remember: Jesus said, “Do unto others as you would have them dounto you.” Pray for them, because you need prayer yourself. When you prayfor others, God blesses you with people who will pray for you. You might not beable to solve all the problems of your friends and family, but you can bringtheir needs before God. When we pray, according to Scripture and our own experiencesin life, something happens. God strengthens them, and He softens hearts aswell. Today,we need to learn to follow the apostle Paul’s example. I also want to remindyou that Jesus prays for us. He set the ultimate example. The New Testamenthighlights both Jesus’ personal prayers on earth for His followers and Hiscontinued intercession for those who would believe. In John chapter 17, in Hishigh priestly prayer before the cross, Jesus said, “I pray for them.” Heis praying to His Father: “I am not praying for the world, but for those Youhave given Me, for they are Yours.” Jesus says, “I am praying for them.”In verse 20, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those whowill believe in Me through their message.” Iget so excited about that, because there Jesus was not just praying for thosedisciples—He was praying for me as well in that moment. The entire chapter ofJohn 17 is Jesus’ extended prayer for His disciples and for all who would laterbelieve. In it, He asked the Father to protect them, to keep them unified, tosanctify them with truth, to fill them with joy, and to bring them to be withHim where He is. Read John 17, and you will see how Jesus prayed for you. Jesusalso had a specific prayer for Peter when Peter was facing a difficult momentconcerning Jesus going to the cross. He said to Peter, “Satan would sift youas wheat, but I have prayed for you, that you would turn again andstrengthen your brethren.”  InRomans 8:34, we are told that Jesus is at the right hand of God and is alsointerceding for us. In Hebrews 7:25, we read that Jesus “is able to savecompletely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives tomake intercession for them.”