Struggling in Community

Writing to the Believers in Rome, Paul stressed the importance of prayer and the need to be motivated by love. They must avoid the temptation to be jealous of others, to form rivalries, or to think of their Christian lives as a competition with other Christians.

Paul told them to be motivated by the spirit of love and “strive together with me in your prayers.” Here Paul used a Greek word found nowhere else in the Bible. This word described the struggle Christians face.

Paul knew he was involved in a battle. The Christian life was a fierce spiritual war. As he wrote to the church in Corinth, “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments” (2 Corinthians 10:4 NLT).

Paul recognized that prayer was central to this battle. He himself was a man of prayer, but Paul also recognized that the power of prayer was increased greatly as Believers joined together in united intercession. This was the context of his urging that these Romans “strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.”

Paul also described the specific things he asked these Believers to pray for. In the same way, we all have special issues about which we need prayer. Yet, whatever our need, we can learn from Paul’s example.

Today, remember that prayer is part of your spiritual warfare. It often involves struggle. The impact of your prayers is intensified as you pray in unity with other Christians, joining together in the struggle to advance God’s Kingdom.