Word of Encouragement (7/8/2021)

The prayer we are considering is, “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:11-12).

Paul prays that God would make the Thessalonians worthy of His calling (v. 11). This is a consistent theme in the New Testament: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called...” (Eph. 4:1); “...walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10). The logic behind these words is familiar enough to us; it governs much of the way we approach our roles and responsibilities and what we expect of others regarding their roles and responsibilities. When we accept a position of authority and influence, we are mindful of the expectations we must meet in terms of our job performance and ethical/professional standard, which are demanded of the position. That a scandal involving a pastor, teacher, lawmaker, or any kind of public figure, triggers a social outrage shows that there are certain expectations we place on people: everyone, who holds a position (whether it is formal, like a lawmaker, or informal, like a parent), is expected to conduct himself/herself in a manner worthy of that role.

Is there anything different or unique about Christianity in this regard? Yes! The first is the incomparable nobility of His calling. Paul does not specify what God’s calling is. But we can easily gather from the rest of the Scripture many different aspects of His calling. To name a few: He called us to be citizens in His kingdom and members of His household (Eph. 2:19)—in fact, to be His children, heirs of God and fellow heirs of Christ (Rom. 8:17); He called us to be members of the glorious body of Christ (Rom. 12:5); He called us to be a royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9); He called us to be His holy temple (Eph. 2:21), etc. Unless God calls us to these high callings, we cannot dare to take on these roles on our own.

Second, these callings are extended to us freely and graciously. Usually, for a position of authority and influence, one has to prove his worth first (even if the only ability he has is to run a good campaign and get elected). But who is qualified enough to be all that God has called us to be? If we are called to be all these things, it is not because of any worthiness in us but because, only because, of God’s free grace offered to us: “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong...” (1 Cor. 1:27).

But it is one thing to be given a wonderful privilege beyond our deserving; it is another to conduct ourselves in a worthy manner. In fact, it can be an oppressing source of stress, causing more misery than joy. How miserable it would be to be in charge of a Fortune 500 company when you don’t know anything about business! And if we are constantly bombarded with, “Act your position! Act in a manner worthy of your title!” how would we feel?

Notice what Paul prays for: “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling....” This is the only hope we have—that God is the One, who not only calls us to high, privileged positions and roles but also makes us worthy of His calling. This is why Augustine prayed, “Lord, command us what you will and grant what your command!” So, God caused us to be born again through the work of the Holy Spirit, giving us a new nature from heaven. God also gave us the Word for our instruction and encouragement. God works in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure. We can see how important it is for us to pray this prayer for ourselves and for one another, then! God will use this prayer to conform our hearts to His and motivate our will and keep our hope burning so we can be worthy of His calling!