They say that Facebook is a powerful app for connecting with old friends and for making new friends. Are you on Facebook? If so, how many friends do you have on Facebook? Do you regularly check to see what is happening in the news and notification sections? How often would you think of those friends outside of the context of Facebook?
The Apostle Paul did not have Facebook to help him connect with those whom he had ministered to, but he did do something else, perhaps even more important and more powerful than Facebook. In 2 Tim 1:3 Paul states that “without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day”. This was not just a sentimental statement spoken to Timothy his young apprentice, it was a perspective and lifestyle that Paul expressed over and over throughout his letters. (For a few of these examples see Rom. 1:9; Eph. 1:6; Phil. 1:4; Col. 1:3; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2 Thess. 1:11; Philem. 1:4.)
There was something about Paul’s commitment to the people that he knew. To Paul it was more than just a distant friendship – him being in one city and them being in a different country, a different city. Paul was so committed to these people that he prayed daily for them. These were not just a few friends for whom he regularly prayed, these were people in all the churches of Asia Minor. He didn’t pray only when a need arose or there was a problem, he prayed for them daily.
I was challenged when I read this aspect of Paul’s life, it’s easy to scan through Facebook to see what is happening in people’s lives, but much harder to pray daily for all whom you know. Lord Jesus help us so that our friends and those whom we know would be a more consistent part of our prayer life.
Recent Comments