ROMANS 15: 30-33
A REQUEST FOR PRAYER
[Acts 20:22-25; 21:10-11]
Paul's ministry plan was to go to Jerusalem to deliver an offering sent by the Gentile churches to the needy Jewish congregations. After completing the relief offering, Paul hopes at last to be free to pursue his mission to Spain, stopping en route at Rome with a "full measure of the blessing of Christ" (vv. 28-29). Paul was under no illusions about the hostility awaiting him in Jerusalem. Neither were others. He had already escaped one plot on his life there (Acts 9:29-30), and omens and prophecies of yet another awaited him (Acts 20:22-25; 21:10-11). Paul needed prayer.
He asked his readers to pray that he would be delivered from unbelievers (v. 31); that his ministry among the believers in Jerusalem would be accepted (v. 31); and that God would permit him a refreshing visit in Rome (v. 32). In Acts 21:15 to 28:31, God's answers to these prayer requests are revealed.
God still delights to hear the prayers of His people on behalf of others, especially pastors and missionaries. When missionaries have opportunity to make requests of fellow Christians, they never fail to ask for prayer above everything else. Missionaries' testimonies of special, divine interventions, and of renewed energy being made available on the days when they have been prayed for [or when their names appear on the missionary prayer calendar] are not mere coincidence. They are clear reminders that God responds to the prayers of His people.
I. PRAYER REQUESTED, 30.
II. PRAYER REQUESTS, 31-32.
III. PRAYED FOR PEACE, 33.
In verse 30 Paul entreats the Romans to join him in his struggle through prayer. "Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me,"
As the great Apostle prepares to head into dangers both known and unknown he requests prayers. The Apostle Paul recognized his need for intercessory prayer support from believers and asked for it again and again (Eph. 6:19-20; Col. 4:3-4; 1 Thess. 5:25; 2 Thess. 3:1-2; Phile. 22). We often view prayer as a time for comfort, reflection, or making our requests known to God. But prayer is often a struggle. Satan and your fallen nature resist intercessory prayer. Why? Because prayer is an offensive and defensive weapon in our fight against Satan. It therefore can involve wrestling before the throne of grace that the evil designs of men and demons may be thwarted (Eph. 6:18-20).
The Greek word translated "strive" [sunagonizomai] is derived from the word from which we get our word "agonize." In other words, Paul was asking for passionate, fervent prayer because he knew danger awaited him in Jerusalem. How did he know this? Because people in every city on his journey warned him, "You're headed for real problems in Jerusalem" (see Acts 20:23; 21:4; 11).
The urging to strive in prayer is motivated and empowered by the Lord Jesus and the love of the Spirit. This love is what the Spirit imparts and maintains in the faithful (5:5). So Paul entreats the Romans to join him or to "strive together with him" in his struggle through prayer. A Christian's intercession is a means of sharing in the ministry of others.
[In his book entitled Reaching Out, Henri Nouwen makes the following observation about prayer: "The paradox of prayer is that it asks for a serious effort while it can only be received as a gift. We cannot plan, organize or manipulate God; but without a careful discipline, we cannot receive him either."]
There are few activities that are as common to all believers as prayer. Prayer is the oxygen that fuels the Christian's life and ministry. Yet it could be equally said that there are few areas of the Christian life with which believers are as dissatisfied as prayer. Most feel that they should pray more or could pray better. Even Jesus' disciples felt that their prayer lives needed work (Luke 11:1).
If we are looking for an incentive to pray, we need look no further than our passage. Our prayers, as ordinary as they may seem, can help others to be more effective in their ministry. Paul asked the believers in Rome to become partners in his struggle through prayer.
Some Christians find it hard to ask others to pray for them. I'm one of them. We are too embarrassed to expose our needs to others or we hold back from making such requests because others have use prayer requests selfishly to focus attention their needs. Paul though realized the seriousness of ministry and situations and he focused his requests on spiritual and practical matters. He realized that prayer is a privilege and a responsibility. So he prayed for others and often asked others to pray for him. He attributed his success in ministry to God's grace but knew that it was also affected by the prayers of others.
[This is one of the mysteries of prayer. If God alone can answer our prayers and already knows what we need, why does He ask us to pray? Perhaps one of God's purposes in prayer is to remind us of our dependence upon Him.]
II. PRAYER REQUESTS, 31-32.
In no uncertain terms Paul reckons with the possibility of losing his life in verse 31. "that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints;"
Notice that he provides specific guidelines for their petitions. Paul requested prayer in four specific areas. The first is that he might be protected from the unbelievers, literally, "the disobedient" in Jerusalem who were out to do him in. The disobedient had forced his departure from the city before (Acts 9:29-30).
Second, Paul requested prayer that the believers in Jerusalem might accept him and his service (diakonia). Paul was aware of the problems that lay before him in Jerusalem (Acts 20:23), and he was deeply concerned that the love-gift from the Gentile congregations be accepted and create unity between the churches and believers. If the sacrificial offering was spurned or receive with only casual thanks, hurt feelings could erupt. He may also have been concerned that the offering be delivered and distributed properly. So Paul requests specific prayer, for to him, prayer was not a mere formality, but brought concrete results, especially when the church prayed on his behalf.
Paul knew he was risking his life to bring encouragement and unity to the Church. Verse 32 implies that only by their prayers and if it was the will of God would he come to them whole and healthy. "so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company."
So third, Paul requested prayer that he might come with joy to Rome. He urged them to agonize with him in prayer so that he may come to them in joy after the successful completion of this ministry task.
Notice the condition "by God's will." Paul knew all this was predicated on God's will (1:10). Paul's life depended on the permission and favor of God, to which he was totally committed.
The fourth request is that after this tense draining ministry they might "be refreshed mutually." The word rendered "refreshed" suggests that Paul would be able to rest or relax with them in the knowledge of a job well done. [Walvoord, John & Zuck, Roy. The Bible Knowledge Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983, S. 498]. While with them he hoped to gain physical and spiritual strength and stamina for the labors still ahead in distant lands.
III. PRAYED FOR PEACE, 33.
This section is closed with a brief benediction in verse 33. "Now the God of Peace be with you all. Amen."
No matter how things would turn out for him, Paul prayed that they would be embraced by God's peace. The God of Peace (Rom. 16:20; also "the God of Hope," 15:13) be with you all. Amen. This is the third benediction or blessing in this chapter (vv. 5, 13). It closes out the teaching and application of the book. The letter will then be concluded with personal greetings and remarks in chapter 16.
As he begged them to pray for them he prays for them [Hodge, Charles. Romans. 1972. Banner of Truth. Mackays of Chatham, Great Britain. p 444]. This blessing he prayed upon them was the peace that God alone can grant. It was with this peace that Paul walked into the turmoil and danger in Jerusalem. The person with the peace of God in his heart can meet life's perils unafraid.
We might wonder IF GOD ANSWERED these prayer requests. Was Paul protected? Well, so severe was the stoning he received at the hands of unbelieving Jews in Jerusalem that his life was spared only when he was taken into protective custody by Lycinius, a Roman centurion (Acts 21).
Was he accepted by the believers? The believers themselves were the underlying reason for the stoning he received. Furthermore, they never thanked him for the offering he risked his life to deliver to them, nor does Scripture record any of them speaking with him or caring for him during the two years he was in protective custody in Caesarea.
Did he come to Rome with joy? He traveled to Rome as a prisoner of the Roman Empire. And so we wonder. It looks like the prayers of the Romans weren't answered, or were they?
Again, was he protected? Yes. He didn't die. Bloodied? You bet—but he didn't die.
Was he accepted by the believers? Oh, not initially, but eventually, for Peter himself instructed the believers to listen to what Paul had to say (2 Peter 3:15).
Did he make it to Rome? While he didn't travel in the way he intended, at least his trip was all-expenses paid! And he was allow to spend two years with them, though he was in prison.
Dear friends, like Paul, sometimes we say, "Pray for me. I'm going through this struggle, and here are some things I need to see happen." And although we pray with fervency, sometimes initially it seems like just the opposite of what we hoped for happens. But I have discovered that usually when I think prayers are not being answered, it's simply because I have not seen the unique and beautiful way God is working.
There was an article in the paper about a WOMAN IN ALASKA who tried to call her sister in Idaho, but she mistakenly dialed a house in Vermont because she dialed Vermont's 802 area code rather than Idaho's 208 area code. The woman in Vermont who answered the call was, at that moment, suffering a severe heart attack. As a result, the woman in Alaska heard only a gasping voice on the other end of the line, saying, "Help me. Help me. Please, God, help me." The woman in Alaska was able to work with telephone operators and emergency personnel to save the Vermont woman's life.
Sometimes, when I pray, I think all I'm getting are busy signals or wrong numbers. But God is working in ways that, if I'll just hang in there, I'll see His hand. This was evidenced in this familiar prayer by a Confederate soldier:
I asked God for strength, that I might achieve,
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do greater things,
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for,
But everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, My unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men, most richly blessed.
That's the way of the Lord. In the middle of our own spiritual wars, we may not see God's hand. But on the other side, we'll say, "Lord, I got nothing I asked for—but everything I really wanted." The purpose and the power of prayer are not to get your way for your life, but to get the Lord's blessing into your life. The prayers Paul requested were truly answered in the best possible way, for lives were touched, folks were saved, and we're encouraged here today because people prayed. [Courson, Jon: Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN : Thomas Nelson, 2003, S. 996]
IN CLOSING
Paul went to Jerusalem well aware of the dangers awaiting him, but he did not go without prayer. Like His Lord he set his face to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). It is courageous to head into harms way. It is the courage Jesus showed. It is the courage Paul showed. It is the courage that all the followers of Jesus need to show. [Barclay, William. The Letter to the Romans. 1975. Westminister Press. Philadelphia. P. 206.]
Who is praying for you today? Do they have enough information about your needs to pray intelligently? Why not call a friend today and exchange prayer requests? Be specific about your needs and desires. As you talk, think of someone whose ministry could also use your prayer, perhaps a missionary or a pastor. Perhaps you can both agree to pray on the same day and time for that person.
We should pray for others, in such a way that we enter their trails, conflicts and ministry. For our spirit-filled prayers bring great assistance to those people and situation for which we pray. So offer to God your prayers on behalf of others, especially pastors and missionaries, making specific requests. Don't forget to thank God for His answers.
