In this part of scripture Paul got personal. Just like he felt, it’s us and one another and us all with the Lord. It is personal. From a worldly frame of mind this is not good, but from a spiritual standpoint we are brothers and sisters. Paul’s request to God was that his way be directed to the Thessalonians. He wanted the way opened—a directed way.
I Thessalonians 4:6 “But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you: 7 Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: 8 For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; 10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith? 11 Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. 12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: 13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.”
What a passage. It reminds me of something natural. With the pace of life we don’t visit our neighbors and kin like we used to. When we do visit relatives who live away from here, we plan the trip. We want the best, safest, and quickest route. The goal is to see them. The shorter the time to get there, the more visiting time there is. How long can we put up with our kin? How long can we put up with our brothers and sisters in the Lord? It seems the more time we spend together, the closer we get.
We see here the value of the brethren to us and vice versa. Paul acknowledged their value. He saw how good they already were. Think of the ones who can’t come to church anymore. They miss us, and we miss them. We take it all for granted. It could change in a heartbeat.
It had been a long time since Paul had seen his brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. His prayer was that God would “direct our way unto you.” He’d heard about their faithfulness. They had his writings. They kept going, and that kept him going. By reading verse 9 we see joy. Even under much affliction there was joy. That lifted Paul’s spirits.
This is the way we are to each other. Our direction should be to help each other to better our lives. What we have in Jesus is iron—solid. Our salvation is strong. Iron sharpens iron. When we’re together in the Lord, he helps us all. We do something for each other even when we pray for one another. Paul prayed night and day to see them. He realized how much he needed to see them. It’s a privilege to pray for each other and feel those prayers.
According to verse 8, they stood fast in the Lord. Hearing of their faith was encouraging to Paul. It encourages me when I see you serve the Lord in the midst of your battles. It helps sharpens my tools and makes me a better Christian.
Paul didn’t just want a way to them, he wanted direction. The goal of the church should be to hold together and sharpen each other. Verse 12 says “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you.” The result is shown is verse 13. “To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before Go.” That’s why Sunday and Wednesday nights are important. Through the Lord it helps us all. The light of love helps us make it to the end. I’ll stand before the Lord. You’ll stand before the Lord. We’ll be together in heaven. It will be like one Sunday service forever.
In light of all the benefits that Paul shows us that we get from each other, our prayer should be as his. “God show me; direct me to my brothers and sisters that I may be a blessing and help to them.”
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 