A prayer about gospel words and gospel works

We you give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in words, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. 1 Thessalonians one. 2 – 5

Heavenly Father, it is a great time to be alive, for even as there is growing turmoil in the world, there is unruffled triumph in heaven, a peaceful certainty that the gospel will win the day, the nations, and the cosmos. I am overjoyed today as I consider the gospel of your grace, the gospel of the kingdom, the great story of redemption and restoration.

In fact, I don’t remember a time when there has been a greater proliferation of the gospelspeak. Everywhere I look I find an openness and earnestness to re-examine and rethink what the gospel is all about. All the public discourse about the gospel, by believers and nonbelievers alike, is a very good thing.

But as I look at my life, the body of believers with whom I walk, and the community in which I live, I am praying that the gospel will increasingly in practice the way it impacted the men and women of Thessalonica. What a stirring image: “Not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction” 1 Thessalonians 1.5.

Dear Father, many gospel words lead to gospel works in my heart. In particular, I am praying for the power of the gospel to be at work in my marriage and other relationships. It is still easier for me to live in the world of words that you really invest in the complexities of heart-to-heart engagement.

May the love you have lavished on me in Jesus, and the love you have given me for Jesus, really work it in me. Made the gospel prove its resurrection power in turning me further from my idols to serve you, the only true and loving God. To be specific, I acknowledge and repent of the idols of control of self-protection.

Lastly, Father, made the great hope you have given us in Jesus, including the hope of a new heaven and new earth, deepen and lengthen my endurance. I pray in Jesus’ matchless name. Amen

~Scotty Smith, Everyday Prayers