1 Timothy 2 - 7.14.21

Scripture

1 Timothy 2:1 

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people

Observation 

Paul continues writing his letter to Timothy, urging him to understand the importance of prayer. He also highlights and instructs the roles of various people in society, including those in leadership, men, and women. 

Understanding

Right away the reader can see the importance of prayer fro Paul, as he mentions it first. Although it seems like a coincident, the fact that he begins with this exhibits Paul’s belief in the power of prayer. He breaks down prayer into several different categories.

Petitions: this refers to a request that is made for something that is desired. These, however, are made humbly and respectfully they are not demands in an effort to pressure God. Petition is similar to supplication, which refers to boldly approaching God and making our requests known, again in a humble manner.

Prayers: these just refer to the broad description of communication to God.

Intercession: these are requests made to God on behalf of other people, whether the other people know it or not. In my opinion these are the toughest prayers to pray because sometimes we don’t see the results we want in our own timing.

Thanksgiving: this ties all the above mentioned together as it is essential to give God thanks, rather than always coming to Him and asking for things.

All these, Paul argues, must be available to all everyone. And guess what, they are! Except sometimes we don’t always use the tools so readily available to us, which is why I think it is important to break them down and understand them further. 

Life Application 

Prayer is obviously important, but sometimes we don’t use it. Again it seems simple because it is. If you don’t know what to pray start with:

A: adoration; praise God and show Him awe in your prayers

C: confession; confess anything that weighs heavy on your heart

T: thanksgiving; give thanks to God for everything that He has done

S: supplication; humbly and boldly make your requests known to God

-Allison Khan