Devotion 16 June 2026

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Psalm 105: 4

READING: 2 Thessalonians 2: 13 – 3: 5

In St Paul’s day, Thessalonica was a busy cosmopolitan city, at the peak of its splendour. Its natural harbour contained one of the greatest dockyards of Roman times, of strategic importance as it controlled a large share of the commerce of the Aegean.

Its situation on this harbour and the Egnatian Way, the road which went west to Rome and east to Asia, meant that Thessalonica and its Church became crucial to spreading Christianity out to the then-known world. But at the time that Paul wrote to them, the Christians there faced political and social pressure from their community. When Paul had first preached there, he was violently accused of treason, and had to flee the city in order to protect the Thessalonian believers (Acts 17:1-20:6).

That is the background to Paul’s prayers for them (2 Thessalonians 3:5), that they will have two things:

God will “direct” the hearts of the Thessalonians into the love of God.

The word translated into English as “direct”, means to make straight and down. This implies clearing away any obstacle in their hearts toward loving God or steadfastly enduring trials.

Paul does not pray that God would necessarily clear away their troubles, but that those obstacles may not prevent them from persevering in their love of God.

The second part of Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians is that they might be given the patience of Christ, meaning, in this case, the endurance of Christ, …who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross… (Hebrews 12:2).

He reminds them that Jesus, “through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope” (v16), and prays that God will comfort their hearts and strengthen them in their good work (v17).

Once again, we see the example Paul gives us of his fervent and continual prayer for his fellow Christians, wherever they lived.  He is telling us that we can make a difference in the lives of others, when we pray for them.

Many in our world are so often lonely and struggling. Being surrounded by people and giving the appearance of success and achievement often masks an intense feeling of aloneness. And, although we may have freedom of worship, there are often other, more subtle pressures and personal obstacles to practising the faith and living the Christian life.

We should take up the task of praying for the hearts of our fellow Christians. We need to pray for them, and ourselves, that, whatever our circumstances, we will, firstly and most importantly, direct our hearts into love for God. And that the Holy Spirit will give us all the grace to develop a steadfast character like that of Christ.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we pray that you will enable me and my brothers and sisters in the faith to stand firm and hold fast. May You encourage our hearts and strengthen us in our faith and actions. Through the love of our Saviour, Amen