2Th 3:1-3 “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.”
The word rendered as “finally” here denotes “something remaining (see Strong’s).” Paul is careful in his letters to let the churches know that those who minister in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ need their prayers. This is true whether we minister from the pulpit, on our home, or in our community. If the only ministering of the gospel that is done comes from the preacher on Sunday morning, then we, as the church, are failing in our ministry.
If we are blessed to have ministers among us who seem strong in the faith and powerful in their testimony, it is sometimes easy to overlook that they have need of our prayers. We need to pray for the word of the Lord to have free course (move swiftly). By God’s grace and power, the gospel can spread quickly and powerfully among His children.
Even as we see an obvious slackness in Christianity in this country, we need to seek God in supplication for those whom He has set for the spreading of His word. We should be asking God every day for His word to be glorified in us. It is our blessed privilege to esteem His word in our lives by magnifying it in our walk and our speech. While we cannot make His gospel greater than it is, we should always be in prayer that God will use us a lens to enlarge the manifestation of His holy truth.
It is true that there are still unreasonable (harmful) and wicked (malicious) men in the world today. Those who openly persecute the believers in Jesus Christ are easily spotted and are certainly unreasonable and wicked. However, there are many who claim a belief in God with their lips that do not have faith. Instead of teaching that Christ is the author of our faith and finisher of our faith, they teach that man has some control in the matter. They have not faith.
But the Lord; how these words should lift our hearts in praise! Not all men have faith, and they will always oppose those that do. However, the unfaithfulness of men cannot lessen or hinder the faithfulness of our Lord and Savior. No matter what men do, the Lord is always faithful.
As we go forth with the desire to see the word of the Lord flow unhindered, He is faithful to make us steadfast. When we go forth to serve Him, He is faithful to guard us from harm. He is still able to cause every persecution to abound to the spreading of His holy word and deliver us from all unreasonable and wicked men.
May God bless us to be always prayerful concerning the free course of His holy word and those who He sends to spread it!
