Two Benedictions
Today was a pleasant day…perhaps the calm before an anticipated snow storm. With the help of some friends of Zane Strange, I was able to get my landscaping project completed. With the pleasant weather we were also able to get the painting of our house completed. We still have a little snow on the north side of our house, but it isn’t too often that we have grass as green as we do this year, at this time of the season. Some of our bushes still have their green leaves. I may need to mow the grass one more time….if the snow melts in time and the weather is warm.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father encourage you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. God loved us, and through his grace he gave us a good hope and encouragement that continues forever.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16,17 NCV) “Now may the Lord of peace give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16 NCV)
We find two “benedictions” or expressions of blessing and prayer from Paul in his short second letter to the Thessalonians. The benedictions of the Bible make for interesting and encouraging study. They are sometimes expressions of praise; at others times declarations of God’s character; they are prayers and reveal God’s response to our faith in Him.
We find the first benediction in the context of Paul sharing about the coming of Christ. Many believers were concerned they had missed the coming of the Lord. Paul responds by reminding them of certain events that will happen before the Lord returns. He also let’s them know that even though there will be terrible events leading up to the Lord’s return that they can hope for “better things” as heirs of salvation.
As Paul pronounces his prayerful desire he reassures these believers that they can anticipate courage and strength as the day of the Lord approach. their duty is to commit themselves to “good” in word and deed. He goes on tells them this is all is through the Lord’s love and grace that gives us hope and encouragement.
It is important to remember that when we make a commitment to follow Christ, that we don’t live life alone, or in our own strength. The Lord is with us to help us and be with us and provide all that we need.
That leads to the second benediction at the close of the letter. Paul’s reassurance is that the Lord will give peace at all times and in every way. What precedes this benediction are some difficult instructions. Paul tells them of his own struggles and challenges in preaching the gospel and reminds them of their spiritual enemy. He then instructs them on how to deal with those who refuse to work and ignore Paul’s instructions in this letter.
So he is talking about conflict from without and within. Those are the types of issues that create anxiety and loss of sleep at night. But he assures them that the Lord will give them peace, as they are confronted by acts of “tough love” and struggles in their spiritual life.
Paul prays for assurance of peace “at all times.” There is no situation that God is not concerned about, and in which He is limited in His ability to bring calm into the rough seas of life. And then Paul mentions, “in every way.” The Lord is not confined in how He acts to provide what we need. If we stay open and don’t make the mistake of believing the Lord does the same thing in the same way, we will see the Lord’s faithfulness to bring His peace into our life.
What we observe in these “benedictions” or prayers for the Thessalonians, is that they come after some difficult words. The reality of the Christian life is one where our joy, peace and faith can be under attack. We do have a spiritual enemy and at times there are “Christians acting badly.” But in our life, we find the Lord’s provision for us in each situation we face.
We can be confident that because of the Lord’s love and mercy, we will have the strength, encouragement and peace that is need when it is needed.