On multiple occasions, Paul requested that churches pray for him and for his labors. In one of the shortest verses in the Bible, Paul instructed the church in Thessalonica, “Brethren, pray for us” (1 Thess. 5:25). He repeated the imperative in the last chapter of his second letter to this church, giving them a motivation for his request–“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified…” (3:1). When he wrote to the church in Colosse, he urged them, “…praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word” (4:3). To the brethren at Corinth, he emphasized how praying for one another unified God, Paul and the brethren into one dynamite team–“God…delivered us…and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us…” (2 Cor. 1:9-11). If Paul wrote Hebrews, then he also charged those brethren, “Pray for us; for we are…in all things desiring to live honorably” (13:18).
Do you pray for your brethren? Much good can come from it–for you and for them!