The Thessalonian letters often come to mind in my seasons of meditation and prayer. Evergreen letters like these never disappoint; they inspire, convict, and challenge the soul every time, so whenever I come to them, I often find it hard to let go.
And why should anyone be in a hurry to drop them? Don't we hear of evil happening everywhere across the globe? Against which, the Apostle Paul prays that we may be delivered from “unreasonable and wicked men,” even those who pretend to be in the body of Christ, “for not all have faith.”
Yet, “the Lord is faithful who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.”
I’ve written this short poem after a moment of intimacy with the Thessalonians. I’ve found the letters passionate with prayer. Despite the immense pressure the young church at Thessaloniki suffered, a strong sense of hope and comfort is alive in their communication with Paul.
It is no surprise then that the Apostle ceaselessly thanks God for their perseverance, praying night and day to see them again, and “pray for us too”, he says. Feeling the affectionate prayers of other believers in your time of need, as you’d find in these letters, is a treasured experience.
I hope this poem lifts your spirits:
Brethren a-Thessaloniki
I thank God for you
in you and through you
‘your faith at work
love in pain
hope in wind and rain
the Word you heard
working in you.
So night and day on my knees
I pray to see your face
To fill lacking faith.
I pray to God:
to clear the way to you,
to grow your love,
your heart to strong
clean, till Jesus come.
Brethren a-Thessaloniki
Always rejoice.
Pray without ceasing
and thanks in everything.
God, the Shalom
will make you whole
spirit, body, and soul.
God the Keeper, keep you
God the Caller is faithful.
He will do it.
He will do it.
I know. He will do it.