Strive Together With Us

So, please turn to Romans chapter 15, and I'll read verses 14 through 33.

Romans 15 · chapter mention

Yeah, please stand. Romans 15, starting in verses 14 through 33.

So, here Paul is explaining his ministry plans.

I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.

But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God,

to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God,

so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.

For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me

to bring the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God,

so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum, I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ.

And thus, I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ already has been named,

lest I build on someone else's foundation.

But as it is written, those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.

This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you.

But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions,

and since I have longed for many years to come to you,

I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain,

and to be helped on my journey there by you,

once I have enjoyed your company for a while.

At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem, bringing aid to the saints.

For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.

For they were pleased to do it, and indeed, they owe it to them.

For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings,

they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.

When, therefore, I have completed this, and have delivered to them what has been collected,

I will leave for Spain by way of you.

I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ,

and by the love of the Spirit,

to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,

that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea,

and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,

so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.

May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

And all God's people said, Amen.

So, the epistle of Paul to the Romans was written around 56 AD.

Paul was in Corinth, in modern-day Greece,

and as we just read, he is on his third missionary journey,

and he's already thinking of new destinations.

He wants to go west. He wants to go to Spain.

But he has things to do first.

He needs to go east to Jerusalem.

So, remember, he just explained in this passage

that he has an obligation to go to Jerusalem

to take an offering that he's collecting to the saints there.

Because remember, when he was in Jerusalem before,

they asked him to remember the poor.

Remember the poor saints in Jerusalem.

And he said he would be glad to do that.

And he even said in this passage that he read,

that we just read,

that the Gentiles, in a sense, have an obligation, right,

to share with them who they've received so much blessing from.

And so, that's his main thought

as he's writing this epistle.

The main occasion for writing it

is that he is making his plans.

He's going to Jerusalem,

but he'll eventually be back,

and he wants to go through Rome on his way to Spain.

And he mentions this,

but when we think of Romans,

we usually don't think of missionary journeys and planning, right?

When we think of Romans,

what do we think of?

We think of the righteousness of God.

We think of how Paul explains in such depth

this great theme of God's righteousness

and how God justifies sinners by grace

through faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul develops this theme,

and he discusses many of its practical implications

through the whole body of this letter.

But then at the end,

he wraps it up with this section.

So we're going to focus on this section,

and we're going to focus specifically

on verses 30 through 32.

Because in this section,

we see that Paul,

he stopped being a theologian and teacher.

He stopped discussing his plans,

and he makes a very personal plea.

He urges them as strongly as he can

to be praying for him.

He won't see them for, who knows,

a year or two.

I don't know how long he's thinking

it'll take him to get to Jerusalem

and back to them,

but it'll be a while.

And in that time,

he doesn't want them to just,

you know, forget him.

Instead, he wants them to be urgently.

He's urgently appealing for them

to be praying for him

from the time they receive this letter

until he arrives, basically.

So let's look at these verses.

And what we'll see is,

first, we're going to look at four observations.

So I'll draw out four observations

that'll sort of guide us through the passage

and help us understand the key points.

And then we'll turn and look at

three applications for our lives.

So there'll be four observations

and three applications.

So let's look at the first observation.

That's great.

Good.

So the first is that Paul urges the believers

in Rome to pray for him.

He's discussing his travels.

He's discussing the gift.

He's concerned about different things happening.

But in this section,

he's focused in on one thing, prayer.

That's what this passage is about.

It's what, if I asked you afterwards,

what was it about?

What's it all about?

Just one word.

Prayer.

Daisy, just one word.

Say prayer.

Okay?

One word.

This is all Paul is concerned about

in this passage.

Prayer.

He desperately wants prayer.

And this isn't new for Paul.

He opens his gospel,

I'm sorry, his epistle,

by mentioning that he's praying for them.

He does this often in his epistles.

He'll tell those that he's writing

that he's been praying for them.

And he does the same

in his epistle to the Romans.

He says in chapter 1, verse 9,

Unceasingly, I made mention of you

always in my prayers making requests.

If perhaps now at last,

by the will of God,

I may succeed in coming to you.

So Paul constantly remembered them

in his prayers.

And now in these verses,

he's urging them to pray for him

and to remember him in their prayers.

And it's interesting to note

how he says this.

He begins by saying,

I appeal to you, brothers.

I appeal to you.

He doesn't just say,

now pray for me.

Now he does that in other epistles.

For example, in 1 Thessalonians

and in 2 Thessalonians also,

he concludes those epistles.

1 Thessalonians 5.25,

he simply says,

pray for me.

Or 2 Thessalonians 3.1,

he says, pray for us.

So that's not uncommon for Paul

to just write in his epistles,

pray for me.

And in Romans 13.50,

he also says,

now I urge you, brethren.

So sometimes he urges them

and sometimes he just asks them

to pray for him.

But in this section,

we see that he is urging,

but he doesn't stop with urging.

He doesn't just urge,

say, I urge you to pray

and he gives the reasons.

He's going to try to make this stronger.

He's going to make an appeal.

He's going to give them two reasons.

So let's look at that.

That's the next point to observe,

that Paul urges the believers to pray.

Because of their common Lord

and their common love.

Look at what he says there.

He says,

by our Lord Jesus Christ

and by the love of the Spirit.

So he's strengthening his appeal.

He says first,

by our Lord Jesus Christ.

So he's basically saying

that because we have a common Lord,

pray for me.

Whatever concern you have for Christ,

whatever desire to see his cause prosper.

I have that same concern.

I have that same desire.

We have the same Lord.

So that should move you to pray.

Because we have the same Lord Jesus Christ.

But he adds to that

by the love of the Spirit.

So he's referring to the love

that believers have for one another

that comes from and through the Holy Spirit.

And Paul is saying,

in effect,

since we have that same love in our hearts,

from that same Spirit working in our hearts,

that binds our hearts together,

let that move you to pray for me.

So when we look at Paul's urging here

and his appeal to these reasons,

this is unusual for Paul.

Something is moving him to urge

even stronger than he normally urges people.

In fact, 14 times,

Paul urges believers to do things.

So for example,

even in the next chapter,

in chapter 16,

verse 17,

he urges them.

He says,

Now I urge you, brethren,

keep your eye on those

who cause dissensions.

So even there,

he urges them.

But he doesn't give them

two reasons like he does here.

He just says,

I urge you.

Now there are three cases

where Paul makes an appeal

and he strengthens it

by referring to Jesus Christ

or God the Father.

So for example,

in Romans 12, 1,

he urges them

by the mercies of God.

And in 1 Corinthians 1, 10,

he urges them

by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And then in 2 Corinthians 10, 1,

he urges them

by the meekness

and gentleness of Christ.

But in this verse,

Paul does something

he hasn't done before.

He urges them

and he gives them

two reasons,

two reasons to pray for him.

So something must be

really significant.

Something's really burdening him.

He really needs prayer.

But he doesn't ask for prayer.

This is the really striking thing

about this passage.

He just doesn't move

right into prayer.

He moves into asking them

to do something first.

Let's look at the next observation.

Paul urges the believers

to strive together with him.

To strive together with him

in prayer.

I remember years ago,

we were back on furlough.

And, you know,

your first day,

a few days back on furlough

are great

because all the couches

are so soft.

The coffee is so good

in the morning.

Everything is so fresh and new.

And I was sitting one morning

reading this passage.

And this just really struck me

that he wanted them

to strive with him

because every missionary

wants prayer.

But he doesn't say,

I urge you to pray.

He says,

I urge you to strive with me

in prayer.

So what does this mean?

So the word here,

strive,

simply means struggle

or fight.

Fight with me.

Struggle with me.

And Paul often uses this word.

So, for example,

in Colossians 129

and also in 1 Timothy 4.10,

he describes his ministry

as labor and striving.

Labor and striving.

He sees what he's doing,

his ministry,

as a struggle.

It's a spiritual struggle.

It's a spiritual battle.

He is striving.

He is fighting.

And he wants them

to strive as well

and he says,

strive together with me.

Strive with me.

Fight with me.

Join me.

Make common cause with me.

I love what one of the

Puritan commentators said.

He said,

he would have them

ply the same oar.

Think of a rowboat.

Think of an oar.

You know,

you're pulling that oar

and that can get really

difficult to pull.

He wants someone

to pull with him.

Some of you may have

watched Ben-Hur

when you were young.

When I was young,

that was my favorite movie.

I'm bathing myself.

I know.

I don't know if kids

watch Ben-Hur anymore.

But it's a great movie

and there's a scene in it

where they're in the

Roman gallery rowing.

Remember that scene?

And every oar

has two men

and they're rowing

for all their lives

because they know

if they don't row fast enough,

they're going to sink

with that ship.

And so that's

this commentator says

Paul would have them

ply the same oar,

join him in fighting,

pulling as hard as they could.

So that's what Paul has in mind.

And this is just

an incredible thought.

Paul is drawing their attention

and our attention

to this idea

that though physically separated,

we can be pulling together

on the same team.

We can be fighting together

side by side as it were,

even though we are separated

by thousands of miles.

And Paul wants them

fighting with him

in their prayers.

And then finally,

he gets to his prayer requests,

his topics of prayer.

Let's look at those.

That's the fourth observation

is that Paul provides them

with three prayer requests.

So let's look at those.

First, he urges them

to pray for his safety.

He asks that they would pray

that God would deliver him

from the disobedience

in Jerusalem, in Judea.

He's referring to the Jews

who are seeking his life.

And he knows

that something terrible

is awaiting him.

He is going to suffer

terribly in Jerusalem.

He's been warned

by the Holy Spirit.

And he'll be even warned later

by the prophet Agabus.

But we read in Acts 20,

when Paul is traveling

to Jerusalem,

he stops and meets

with the elders from Ephesus.

And in Acts 20,

there's this really poignant scene.

They meet together

and he tells them,

I'll never see you again.

And so he gives them

his final words to them.

And this is one of the things

he tells them in Acts 20,

Acts 20:22–23

verses 22 through 23.

He says,

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.

Think about that.

The Holy Spirit

is testifying to him

in every city,

every stop along the way.

He's being reminded

by the Holy Spirit

that bonds and afflictions

await him.

And so what does he do?

Does he stop?

Does he go back?

No.

He realizes

he needs to ask

the brothers and sisters

to pray for him about this.

And so he asks,

even in this letter

to the Romans,

pray for me.

Pray that I get safely

to Jerusalem

and I am spared.

I'm rescued.

I'm safe from these,

the ones who would

seek his life.

And second,

he asks for prayer

for his,

what he calls

his service for Jerusalem.

And he explained it earlier

in the chapter

that we read,

that he's been collecting

gifts from the churches

in Macedonia and Achaia.

And as he's been

collecting these gifts,

he's making plans

to take this money

to Jerusalem.

And he wants this

to be received,

not only for the money

to get there,

but for the believers there

to really see it

as a blessing

and for them

to receive it

and to be encouraged

by what God is doing

among the Gentiles.

And finally,

he urges them

to pray for his

safe arrival in Rome.

So he mentions earlier,

remember the whole occasion

for this book,

for the epistle

to the Romans,

is that someone's

traveling to Rome

and he's going to send

this letter

to tell them I'm coming.

So please,

pray for me

that I eventually

arrive safely

in Rome

and can be refreshed

by my time

with you.

Now what's wonderful

about scripture

is that scripture

interprets scripture.

Scripture fills out scripture.

You know what?

We have these three

prayer requests here

and guess what?

We have the answers.

We know what happened.

We actually know

how God answered

each of those prayer requests.

So,

let's look at that.

I'm going to,

I don't want you

to feel like

you have to look up

every verse in Acts

that I referred to.

That would take

a couple hours

for us to read through

and discuss every passage.

So I'm going to

sort of skim through

and then we'll spend

a little bit of time

in Acts 28.

But the first thing

to note is

Paul did arrive

in Jerusalem

and the leaders there

did receive

the offering.

They were greatly

encouraged

with what the Lord

was doing

through Paul

and his ministry

and we read about this

in Acts 21

Acts 21:17–20

verses 17 through 20.

So we know

that that prayer

was answered.

Paul did get

to Jerusalem.

They did receive

the gift.

The saints

were encouraged

by that.

And second,

as the Spirit

of God

had told Paul,

he did suffer

bondage

and affliction

in Judea.

he was attacked

in the temple.

He was dragged

outside,

almost stoned

to death,

but rescued

by the Roman

soldiers.

And then in Acts

21 through

Acts 26,

we have the account

of how his life

is saved.

There was even

40 Jews

who made

a pact.

They were going

to fast,

not eat

or drink

until they killed

Paul.

And God

preserved him

from those

40 men.

And he was

eventually taken

down to

Caesarea

on the coast.

And eventually

he's taken,

put on a ship

on his way

to Rome.

So he is saved

from those

attempts on

his life.

And what about

his request

for prayer

that he would

arrive safely

in Rome?

Did he arrive

safely in Rome?

Yes.

In fact,

we read

in Acts

27 and

28 about

their long,

difficult voyage.

They even

had a

terrible storm

at sea.

Their ship

is crashed

on the island

of Malta,

but God

spared everyone

on that ship.

And God

even used

Paul to

preach the

gospel on

the island

of Malta.

And then

they eventually

arrive in Rome.

And let's

look at Acts

28,

because there's

a beautiful

passage there

that is so

easy to

read right

by.

But Acts

28.

I'll start

reading in

verse 15.

Let's see.

Actually,

let me start

in verse

11.

So Acts

Acts 28:11

28,

verse 11.

After three

months,

so they

were in

Malta,

we set

sail in

a ship

that had

wintered

in the

island,

a ship

of Alexandria,

with the

twin gods

as a

figurehead.

Putting

in at

Syracuse,

we stayed

there for

three days.

And from

there we

made a

circuit and

arrived at

region.

And after

one day,

a south

wind sprang

up,

and on

the second

day we

came to

Peteoli.

There we

found brothers

and were

invited to

stay with

them for

seven days.

So I

think,

I think

that those

seven days,

that gave

news time

to reach

Rome,

that Paul

was nearby.

Because look

what happens

next.

And so we

came to

Rome.

And the

brothers,

there,

when they

heard about

us,

came as

far as

the

forum of

Appius,

and two

taverns to

meet us.

And seeing

them,

Paul thanked

God and

took courage.

And when we

came to

Rome,

Paul was

allowed to

stay by

himself with

the soldier

who guarded

him.

Now it's so

easy to

read by

those verses

and not

think about

the significance.

It says

there in

verse 15,

the brothers

there,

when they

heard about

us,

so they

got news

that Paul

was pretty

close.

What did

they do?

They came

as far as

the forum

of Appius

and the

three taverns

to meet

us.

Now we

can read

that and

just think,

okay,

they met

them.

How far

did they

go to

meet them?

Maybe if you

have a study

Bible,

you'll see in

the notes,

but let me

give you the

quick answer.

They went

43 miles

to the

market of

Appius,

43 miles,

probably walking.

They traveled

two days.

They were

probably prepared

to go all

the way to,

was it

Petulium or

Regium where

he had been,

where he spent

seven days,

oh, Petulia.

They may have

been prepared

to go all

seven,

you know,

all the way

to that town

to meet

them,

but they

went as

far as

the market

of Appius,

43 miles.

And then

there was

a second

group of

them coming

behind that

made it only

as far as

the three,

three ends.

That was

33 miles.

So the

believers in

Rome organized

themselves quickly

and said,

let's send some

people to meet

Paul because

they knew he

was a prisoner.

What did he

need?

He probably

needed some

fresh sandals,

some food,

maybe some

clothes.

Most of all,

he needed to

be encouraged

and they were

ready to

do it.

They sent

a team

out.

Then he

got a second

team together

and they

sent them

out and

they met

him.

What did

Paul do?

It says

here,

Paul thanked

God and

took courage.

If we

could see

that,

if we

could have

had that

on TikTok,

you know,

it would

have,

I'm sure

the words

don't capture

the amount

of gratitude

Paul had

and the

amount of

encouragement

he received.

Imagine writing

a letter to

Rome,

and it's

almost three

and a half

years.

You don't

even know

if it

got there.

You don't

even know

if they

remember you.

And here

they send

this group

to meet

you.

And then

they send

another group

to meet

you.

And so

I'm sure

he was

greatly

encouraged

by this.

So what

does this

mean for

us today?

How

should we

apply this?

I think

there's

three things

we could

take away.

First,

don't

neglect

prayer.

Don't

neglect

prayer.

In this

passage and

throughout

his epistles,

Paul was

always exhorting

us to

pray.

I'm sure

these are

very familiar

verses.

First,

Thessalonians

517,

pray without

ceasing.

Colossians

4-2,

devote yourselves

to prayer.

Ephesians

6-8,

with all

prayer and

petition,

pray at

all times

in the

spirit and

with this

in view,

be on the

alert with

perseverance and

petition for

all the

saints.

And Paul

was simply

exhorting the

believers as

our Lord and

Savior had

exhorted the

first believers,

the apostles.

Jesus says

in Matthew

7-7,

Ask and

it will be

given to

you.

Seek and

you will

find.

Knock and

it will be

open to

you.

We are to

be continually,

earnestly

seeking the

Lord in

prayer.

This is what

John Calvin

said about

that verse.

Nothing is

better adapted

to excite us

to prayer

than a

full

conviction

that we

shall be

heard.

I mean,

why pray if

you're not

going to be

heard,

right?

A full

conviction that

we shall be

heard.

Christ,

in order to

excite us

powerfully to

this part of

our duty,

not only

enjoins what

we ought to

do,

but promises

that our

prayer shall

not be

fruitless.

Again,

whenever we

engage in

prayer,

or whenever

we feel

that our

ardor in

prayer is

not sufficiently

strong,

we ought to

remember the

gentle invitation

by which

Christ assures

us of God's

fatherly

kindness.

Each of us,

trusting to the

grace of Christ,

will thus attain

confidence in

prayer and

will venture

freely to

call upon

God.

So,

we should

remember our

Father's

kindness awaits,

our fatherly

kindness awaits

us, so we

should not

neglect prayer.

And another

point is that

we should strive

together in

prayer.

This is what

really struck me

about what Paul

wrote.

He didn't just

say pray, he

said strive,

strive,

strive together

in prayer.

As brothers and

sisters in

Christ, having

the same Lord,

having a common

love, we

strive together

in our prayers

for each

other.

This is what

Carl's

Hodge in

his commentary

on this

verse wrote,

we shall

pray for

others in

such a way

as really

to enter

into their

trials and

conflicts and

believe that

our prayers,

when sincere,

are a real

and great

assistance to

them.

So,

do you think

your prayers

are a real

and great

assistance?

I know for

myself, I can

pray for

someone because

I don't want

them to feel

bad, or I

want them to

know that I

care about

them, but am

I praying because

I think my

prayer is a real

and great

assistance?

It's easy to

focus on the

individual, but

we have to

remember that we

have our God,

our Heavenly

Father's kindness

awaiting, and

so we pray

realizing that

our prayers are

real and great

assistance.

Several years

ago when we

were in

Cameroon,

there was a

period when I

was traveling

back and

forth, and I

left Susan

and the girls

at the

provincial

capital,

Marowa, and

I traveled out

to where we

were building

our home, and

the phone

service on

that trip was

really bad.

I wasn't able

to call her,

so I wasn't

able to do

the usual

check-in and

say I arrived

safely.

And so several

days went by,

and she was

becoming more

and more

concerned.

And this

wonderful

missionary named

Marty, Marty

Giger, she's

Swiss-German,

Swiss-German

missionaries are

great, everyone

needs a Swiss-German

missionary in

their life.

She came by to

see Susan, and

she had such a

gentle spirit, she

sat down with

Susan and said,

how are you

doing?

And Susan said,

Aaron's out, and

I haven't heard

from him.

And so she

said, let's

pray.

And as they

were praying,

the Lord heard

their prayers,

because right

then the phone

went off, and

I was able to

tell Susan, you

know, I'm okay,

and I should be

home today.

And when I got

back, I learned

that they had

been praying at

that very moment.

So Marty

understood that

her prayers were

a real

assistance.

presence.

And we

need to

remember that.

Lifting

each other

up, striving

together in

prayer.

And finally,

this is the

Apostle Paul,

a missionary,

making his

missionary plans,

asking the

church to pray

for him.

So I think

the third

application is

to strive

together in

your prayers

for your

missionaries.

Paul gives

us this

insight.

He sees

prayer as a

way for

others to

stand side

by side with

him in his

ministry.

And he

desperately needed

their prayer.

He wanted

their prayer.

He urged them

as strongly as

he could.

He doesn't

urge anyone

in any of his

writings like he

does here to

pray for him.

He wanted

their prayers.

prayers.

And so I

think we

all should

take this to

heart.

We need to

be striving in

prayer with our

missionaries.

I'm really

encouraged that

your church is

praying for your

missionaries.

And I just want

to encourage you

to excel still

more.

Continue to

lift them up in

prayer and

encourage them

through that.

And you can

even take a

little step

further if you

want.

After you pray

for them, send

them a text

message.

We pray.

The church we

go to in

Florida, they

have twice a

month we meet

together and

pray for the

missionaries from

our church.

And one thing

that they do at

the end of the

meeting, you

can't leave until

you texted one of

the missionaries

and said, we

prayed for you.

And sometimes I

even get a text,

especially if I

didn't make the

meeting.

They'll text me

and say, Aaron,

we prayed for

you too.

So pray for

your missionaries.

Encourage them.

Let them know.

And when they

come back, when

they walk in,

this is the

best way to

greet them.

Say, welcome

back, Sam and

Amanda.

We've been

praying for you.

Don't say

anything else.

They'll be so

shocked.

Let them just

sink in.

Welcome back,

Chris and Liz.

We've been

praying for you.

Don't say

anything else.

Just let that

encourage their

hearts.

Kyle and Hannah,

welcome back.

We've been

praying for you.

They'll be really

blessed by that.

And if you

haven't been

praying for any

missionaries, now's

the day.

You can start

praying.

Your church has

four couples.

Maybe there's even

another missionary in

your life.

Maybe you have an

uncle or an aunt,

a nephew, someone

else.

Maybe someone, the

Lord brought a

missionary in your

life before you

came here.

And even now, the

Spirit's brought

them to your mind.

I've told so-and-so

I'd be praying for

them.

Their prayer card

fell behind the

refrigerator and I

just never have

gotten it out.

Let today be that

day where you begin

praying for them

again.

Strive together with

them in your prayers

to God for them.

Last night, I

mentioned William

Carey.

People call him the

father of modern

missions.

He appears in so

many textbooks and

so many sermons.

He encouraged so

many people in

mission work.

You may have

heard of Agnard

Judson, the

American missionary

who went to

Burma.

Do you know why

he went to

Burma?

Because of

William Carey.

He went and

William Carey

helped save him

from the British

authorities.

The British

authorities at

that time loved

to capture

missionaries and

send them back

home.

And so there's

nothing better than

the British, what

was it, East

India Company.

They did not want

missionaries there.

In fact, William

Carey lived in a

Danish colony in

order to fulfill

his ministry.

So he helped

Adoniram Judson

escape the

British and get

safely on to

Burma and begin

his ministry.

Everyone has

heard of William

Carey, but very

few people have

heard of his

sister.

Did you know

that he had a

sister, Polly?

And Polly is

probably better

remembered in

heaven because of

all her prayers.

She prayed for

him regularly.

In fact, she was

bedridden and she

would write him

regularly and pray

for him regularly.

And when groups

would visit her, she

would have them

pray for her

brother overseas.

And she was

continually lifting

him up in prayer.

And that's what

every missionary

wants.

They want a

Polly behind

them, praying

for them.

Even Paul wanted

that.

He urged them,

strive together

with me in your

prayers to God

on my behalf.

So I encourage

you, brothers and

sisters, let's

follow the example

of Paul, his

exhortation, and

strive with those

who are serving

and even strive

with one another

coming together

and praying for

each other.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we

thank you for this

passage.

We thank you for

your spirit moving

Paul to write

these words where

he's very vulnerable

in a way, sharing

how much he needed

prayer, how much

he wanted the

believers in Rome

to remember him.

And we thank you,

Lord, that you

answered those

prayers and even

moved Luke to

record how you

worked through your

people to continue

the ministry of

Paul.

And we just pray

that you would use

this in our hearts

to stir us to pray

even more that

you, your purposes

would be accomplished

in our day through

your servants.

And we pray for

Sam and Amanda,

that you would

encourage them today

and bless them and

Chris and Liz as

they minister in

their mission field

in North Africa.

And we pray for

Kyle and Hannah in

the southern tip of

Africa.

You bless them as

well today.

And we thank you for

all those that you've

led to the ends of

the earth to proclaim

your greatness.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.