Striving in prayer

Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints; That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed. Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. – Romans 15.30-33

Whoops, I jumped ahead there into the next chapter. Anyway, back to this passage in Romans 15 about striving together in prayer. The second aspect of this is what Paul wants the church in Rome to pray for.

Paul didn’t live like most of us live. He lived and preached and served with constant opposition. He was attacked and persecuted and thrown into jail and had his life threatened.

When he calls on us to combat in prayer it is so that he might be delivered from the opposition. Though most of us in the west know nothing about real opposition we have brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world who do. We ought to strive to pray for them that they might be delivered. In another place we are called to to pray for them as though we were in chains with them.

It is easy enough to pray something like ‘Lord, I pray for all the persecuted Chrisitans,’ but that is hardly ‘striving together in prayer.’ The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

I want that kind of striving in prayer to be in my life.