Introduction

(Read vv. 22–33) All of us have people we love. You LOVE your spouse, your children and grandchildren, your parents, and your best friends. When you really love someone, you want to clearly express that love. But do you ever struggle to do so?

For example, Mother’s Day is coming. You love your mom. You are incredibly grateful for who she is and all she has poured into you. Therefore, you want to give her the perfect gift. So, you walk into Target with great ambitions of finding the perfect expression of your love. But 30 minutes later, you’re at the checkout with a vacuum cleaner feeling like a complete failure.

Sorry, but I don’t have any grand answers for becoming a great gift buyer. I’m terrible at it, and I’d be even worse without Heidi and even Isabelle helping me out. It’s kind of sad how much I lean on my 6-year-old.

While I’ve got nothing to help you buy better gifts, I can say on the authority of God’s Word that one of the best gifts you can give anyone is to pray for them. Pray for your spouse. Pray for your kids and grandkids. And pray for your friends in the church. Why? Because the best gift you could ever provide is the blessing of God. Your loved ones need God far more than a vacuum, the coolest knife, or anything you can offer. That’s what Paul believed, and I hope it’s what you believe also.

Last week, we saw in vv. 22–29 that when Paul wrote Romans, he had just finished collecting an offering from the Gentile churches for the poor Jewish saints. Now, he was preparing to deliver it to Jerusalem. The trip was risky because Paul was not popular in Jerusalem. The Jews considered him a traitor for believing the Law was obsolete. Even many of the Jewish Christians didn’t like him. So, Paul told the Ephesian elders, “I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me” (Acts 20:22–23).

Paul knew that needed God’s protection, but he especially needed God to give him a fruitful ministry. Therefore, in v. 30, he pleads for the Romans to “strive together…” The Romans could express true love and make a real impact on his life by praying for him.

You can do the same for those you love. God answers prayer. So, I pray that you will leave today motivated to pray, to partner in prayer with your brothers and sisters in Christ. You can do that effectively by imitating 4 examples from this text.

I.  Pray urgently (v. 30).

Again, Paul was anxious about this trip, not because he was afraid to die but because he wanted to make a gospel impact. And he understood the hostility ahead. He needed God’s help. Therefore, he begins, “I urge you, brethren” to pray for me. He desperately needed their prayers.

It’s so easy to lose sight of spiritual warfare we all face. But the Bible warns that we are all engaged in a life and death struggle against vast spiritual powers. Satan wants to destroy you, he wants to destroy those you love, and he wants to kill your ministry impact.

You must appreciate the battle. Imagine being on the front lines of a war. You are terrified for your life and the lives of your friends. But another soldier is posting Tik Tok videos of himself doing silly dances. You’d think, “What’s wrong with you. Don’t you realize where we are?”

It’s silly, but that’s how many Christians live. You’re your prayer life is an important measure of how clued in you are to the war. Paul understood; therefore, he prayed a lot, and he urged the Romans to pray also. So, understand the enemy and his hostile intent. Pray like you believe it.

As if the war is not enough motive, notice that Paul urges them to pray, “by our Lord Jesus Christ.” In other words, pray because Jesus demands it. He told his disciples in the Garden, “Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38). Jesus commands you to make prayer a priority.

Then Paul also appeals to “the love of the Spirit.” The point is that the Holy Spirit inspires Christians to truly love each other. Love is part of our DNA. I hope you love the body of Christ. If you do, one of the best ways you can express it is to pray for your brothers and sisters.

Make yourself a prayer list. Take notes about people’s burdens. Take notes from the missionary updates. Then make time to pray. I know life is busy. But you find time for the things you love. You can find time to pray. Pray while you are falling asleep. Pray while you drive to work. Get up 10-15 minutes earlier and use that time for prayer. It matters.

I love the imagery Paul uses at the end of the verse. As Paul prepared for a daunting trek to Jerusalem, he urged the Romans “to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.” This is one of those times where the Greek verb is worth our attention. It’s sunagōnízomai. Maybe you heard the English word agonize in there. The root describes an intense struggle, and the prefix, sun, says we struggle with or alongside someone.

It’s a wonderful image for partnering in prayer. Afterall, Rome is a long way from Jerusalem; therefore, the Romans may feel helpless to support Paul as he marched toward the hornet’s nest. But they weren’t. They could be highly engaged in his mission by striving or wrestling with him in prayer.

That’s awesome because don’t you hate it when you have a heavy burden for someone, but you feel helpless? We love our missionaries, and we want them to succeed, but how can we help reach stubborn souls in Wales? Your heart brakes for a brother in the church who is enduring overwhelming temptations and trials, but you feel helpless to relieve his burden. Your adult children are sliding toward bad choices, but you can’t force them to stop like you could when they were home. You feel helpless.

But you are not. You can pray to the God of all power and wisdom. Even though a missionary may be on the other side of the world, a friend may be across town, and a child across the country, you can strive together with them in prayer. You can enter the fight. You can make a difference.

So, appreciate the battle, see the true power of prayer, and pray urgently for those you love and the ministries you love. Wrestle for them in prayer. The 2^nd prayer example Paul offers is…

II.  Pray specifically (v. 31).

Paul gives two specific prayer requests—one about unbelievers in Jerusalem and the other about Christians. First, Paul was afraid that the unbelieving Jews would violently oppose his ministry.

That’s exactly what happened. When Paul visited the temple, he was grabbed by a mob, and Acts 21:31 says they would have killed Paul if the Romans hadn’t saved him. Then chapter 23 says that while he was in prison 40+ men took a vow not to eat or drink until they killed Paul (Acts 23:12–13).

That’s serious. However, they must have grown very hungry because in God’s providence, Paul’s nephew overheard them and warned the Romans.

Imagine how encouraging it must have been when the Romans heard that story. Paul had specifically asked them to pray that he would be “rescued from those who are disobedient.” They prayed. And God answered by putting Paul’s nephew in the right spot to foil their plot. God answers prayer!

But Paul was also concerned about the church’s response. Therefore, he also asked the Romans to pray, “that my service…”

Once again, Paul’s fears proved to be valid. When Paul reported to James and the Jerusalem elders, they replied, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law;and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs” (Acts 21:20–21). Even Christians were upset at Paul for not calling Gentile converts to obey the Law.

So, when Paul wrote Romans, he knew this was going to be a tricky visit. Therefore, he was especially concerned that the Jerusalem church would refuse the Gentile offering. He wanted this offering to bring Gentile and Jewish saints together, but he was afraid the Jews would refuse it and deepen the wedge between Jewish and Gentile Christians.

Therefore, he urged the Romans strive together with him in prayer for a successful mission. Considering Paul’s example, I want to urge you to…

Pray intelligently. Few things will kill your prayer life more quickly than praying in vague generalities. Your prayers consist of “Bless this person, and that missionary.” You quickly get bored, and you run out of things to say. And when you pray in vague generalities, it’s hard track real answers to prayer, so you miss the joy of answered prayer. If you pray in generalities, your prayer times will be boring, short, discouraging, and you’ll stop soon enough.

Instead, get informed so that you can pray specifically. Our missionaries do a great job putting specific requests in their letters. Write them down and pray for them. We bring up specific prayer requests almost every Sunday night and in plenty of other contexts. Again, take note, be informed about the needs of our church and the people in our church, pick the ones that matter to you, and pray intelligently.

You should do the same with your private conversations with church members and with family. Ask questions and take note of specific needs so that you are informed and can pray intelligently. It’s so simple, but it will change your prayer life. 2^nd…

Pray watchfully. What I mean by this is understand the gravity of spiritual warfare. Again, think of the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus and the disciples are moments away from the darkest moment of their lives, but the disciples can’t stay awake to pray because they have no vision for the gravity of the moment. Jesus, on the other hand, does, and he is sweats drops of blood while he prays. That’s why he told them, “Watch and pray.”

My point is not that your prayer times all need to be that intense because Jesus didn’t sweat blood every time he prayed. But you should pray watchfully. Paul was walking into a war. His requests reflected that war. Our missionaries, your pastors, and others are also engaged in frontline work. And Ephesians 6:10 says that every believer is in a war with spiritual powers.

Appreciate that and pray accordingly. Take the time to know exactly what the needs are. Evaluate them based on Scripture. Maybe consider a biblical way to pray for that need. Then pray intelligent, watchful, specific prayers for your brothers and sisters in Christ. We must be partners in prayer. The 3^rd prayer example Paul offers is…

III.  Pray compassionately (v. 32)

The logic of vv. 31–32 goes like this. In v. 31, Paul gives two requests regarding his ministry in Jerusalem. He wanted the Romans to pray for an effective ministry. And v. 32 says that in part, he wanted them to pray for that effectiveness so that when he visits Rome, he will come in joy. Paul didn’t want to visit Rome feeling defeated and discouraged over a fruitless trip. Instead, he wanted to come rejoicing over answered prayer.

You know the feeling. You’ve been anticipating a fun date or exciting vacation for a long time, but just hours beforehand something crushing happens. You can’t enjoy yourself the way you had hoped.

Paul didn’t want that to happen. He wanted the most joyful, refreshing visit to Rome possible. So, let’s think for a moment about his hopes. First, Paul wanted to come in…

Joy: As I was reflecting on this verse on Thursday, it struck me that I don’t pray enough for other people’s joy. I had prayed that morning for all our missionaries. I prayed for several specific requests regarding their ministry and personal lives. I prayed for encouragement, but I never got to the point of praying for joy in the Lord. (That’s because I want Craig to be miserable.)

No, sometimes we almost praying for joy would be petty. I bet a missionary would feel odd listing joy in his prayer requests, and we might think it alarming that he would list it. Why is that? It’s because we lose sight of the value and blessing of joy. But joy matters. The Bible commands you to be glad and to rejoice in the Lord. Joy honors God, and it does wonders for the soul. Practically, joyful ministers make a far greater ministry impact than gloomy ones.

So, pray for joy. The ministry is hard. The burdens are heavy. People are sinners, and they regularly disappoint us. It’s hard to have joy in ministry. If our missionaries, your pastors, and other ministry leaders don’t have joy, their impact will lag. Paul knew that he needed joy, and every other minister needs it too. So, pray that they will have joy in the Lord and joy in their ministry. It’s good for them, and it’s good for the health of their ministry.

And pray that God gives joy to every brother and sister in Christ. It’s one of God’s best graces. Pray for it and encourage it by your words and actions. And pray that God gives you joy. It’s a fruit of the Spirit. It matters, and by God’s grace you can know joy no matter what your circumstances may be.

Refreshment: Paul’s ministry was taxing. It was physically taxing, but the ministry burdens were overwhelming. So, Paul asked the Romans to pray for a refreshing visit.

I was very convicted this week by Paul’s example because I rarely ask you publicly to pray for me. It’s not because I don’t know that I need it. I know I need your prayers, and I love to hear you are praying for me. Rather, I don’t want to be whiner, and I don’t want to be selfish.

But Paul reminded me that I need your prayers, so I should ask you to pray. So, pray for me and pray for Pastor Tim. The ministry is hard, spiritual warfare is exhausting, and none of us are up to the task in our own strength. We need your prayers.

Please pray specifically for joy and refreshment. I get tired, my heart can grow cold, and I can lose focus. So, pray for refreshment and especially for spiritual, grace-empowered refreshment.

Pray the same way for our missionaries and every brother or sister in Christ. We all get weary, we all slow down at times, and we all get distracted. One of the best prayers you can offer is that God would refresh people’s souls by his grace. Hebrews 13:9 says, “It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods.” I like food, but I need grace.

So, do you. You need true, soul-sustaining refreshment that comes only by the grace of God. Don’t burn yourself out. Make sure that you have built disciplines of grace into the rhythm of your life that will refresh your soul.

Pray compassionately. Don’t be so task-oriented in your prayers that you neglect to care for people’s hearts. The 4^th prayer example Paul offers is…

IV.  Pray God-centeredly (v. 33).

I’m not sure centeredly is a word, but whatever. Verses 30–32 detail Paul’s request that the Romans pray for him. Now, he closes the chapter with a simple prayer for the Romans. I can’t think of anything better he could pray for them or that any of us could pray for each other.

God is the “God of peace.” Remember that for a Jew like Paul, peace means more than world peace or inner peace. No, Jewish peace, or shalom, encompasses all of God’s blessing and grace. So, Paul’s prayer is simply that God would be near to the Romans with all his grace and goodness.

Nothing in life is more wonderful or more necessary than that. We all have many burdens and many needs. The people in this room represent many health needs, financial needs, work issues, and relational challenges. But your greatest need is God. If you have him, you have all that you need.

I must emphasize that having God must begin by entering a genuine relationship with him. That’s because we are all born separated from God because of our sin. You don’t just need to get closer to God; you need the wall between you and God to be removed.

That’s why Christ died on the cross. He died to pay your sin debt. Therefore, God will forgive your sin and receive you as his child if you will admit your need of salvation and receive Christ and his gift of eternal life. If you have never done that, please receive Christ today. You can put your faith in Christ right there in your seat. Christ will shatter the wall between you and God, and you can know him and all his grace. I hope you will do that today.

And Christian, don’t forget the importance of the God of peace to your life today and the lives of those around you. You need to be near to God more than anything else. So, live in his presence, keep your heart pure, confess your sins, and worship him.

And pray that the God of peace would be near to those you love. Pray that his glory and grace would surround them and this all of his blessing would overflow. If they have God, he is enough. Pray God-centered prayers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this passage casts a wonderful vision for our life together in the church. It is a vision that is centered in striving together in prayer. Do you want to love people well, and express that love beautifully? Pray for them. Pray urgently, pray specifically, pray compassionately, and pray God-centeredly. We need each other. One of the best ways you can be there for your brothers is to pray. By God’s grace be someone’s partner in prayer.