2 Timothy and Titus E-Book

Sam Storms

• Herausgeber: Lexham Press
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: Planted in the Word
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 248

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

"GUARD THE DEPOSIT ENTRUSTED TO YOU" —1 TIMOTHY 6:20 In the last months before his execution, Paul sent two letters—2 Timothy and Titus—to his sons in the faith. Paul's final exhortations are deeply relevant to Christians today. We must guard our character and hold firm to the gospel in the face of false teaching and opposition.  2 Timothy & Titus: A 40-Day Bible Study is meditative, gospel-centered, practical, and prayerful. Over forty days, you will: - Read and reflect on 2 Timothy and Titus - Meditate on Jesus and the good news - Pray through Paul's final letters - Apply God's word to your life Planted in the Word: Bible studies for individuals or small groups. Each volume provides forty days of guided Bible study written by respected scholars for everyday Christians. Short enough to read in 15 minutes or less, each day includes:  - Reading and meditation on Scripture - Reflection on how the text points to Christ - Application of God's word to our lives - Praying for God's help - Suggestions for further study or discussion Each volume includes a reading plan for group study.

Leseprobe

2 TIMOTHY & TITUS

A 40-DAY BIBLE STUDY

SAM STORMS

Benjamin L. Merkle, Series Editor

2 Timothy and Titus: A 40-Day Bible Study

Planted in the Word, edited by Benjamin L. Merkle

Copyright 2025 Sam Storms

Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225

LexhamPress.com

You may use brief quotations from this resource in presentations, articles, and books. For all other uses, please write Lexham Press for permission. Email us at [email protected].

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Print ISBN 9781683597865

Digital ISBN 9781683597872

Library of Congress Control Number 2024946239

Lexham Editorial: Elliot Ritzema, Allisyn Ma, Danielle Burlaga, Mandi Newell

Cover Design: Joshua Hunt

Joyfully dedicated to the men of the Theological Roundtable,

with special gratitude to our leader,

Dudley Hall

Contents

Series Preface

Introduction to 2 Timothy and Titus

2 Timothy

DAY 12 Timothy 1:1–2

DAY 22 Timothy 1:3

DAY 32 Timothy 1:4–5

DAY 42 Timothy 1:6–7

DAY 52 Timothy 1:8

DAY 62 Timothy 1:9–12a

DAY 72 Timothy 1:12b

DAY 82 Timothy 1:13–14

DAY 92 Timothy 1:15–18

DAY 102 Timothy 2:1–2

DAY 112 Timothy 2:3–6

DAY 122 Timothy 2:7

DAY 132 Timothy 2:8

DAY 142 Timothy 2:9

DAY 152 Timothy 2:10

DAY 162 Timothy 2:11–13

DAY 172 Timothy 2:14–19

DAY 182 Timothy 2:20–21

DAY 192 Timothy 2:22–26

DAY 202 Timothy 3:1–9

DAY 212 Timothy 3:10–13

DAY 222 Timothy 3:14–17

DAY 232 Timothy 4:1–5

DAY 242 Timothy 4:6–8

DAY 252 Timothy 4:9–15

DAY 262 Timothy 4:16–18

DAY 272 Timothy 4:19–22

Titus

DAY 28Titus 1:1–4

DAY 29Titus 1:5–9

DAY 30Titus 1:10–16

DAY 31Titus 2:1–6

DAY 32Titus 2:7–10

DAY 33Titus 2:11–12

DAY 34Titus 2:13–15

DAY 35Titus 3:1–3

DAY 36Titus 3:4–5

DAY 37Titus 3:6–7

DAY 38Titus 3:7b

DAY 39Titus 3:8–11

DAY 40Titus 3:12–15

Group Reading Plan

Series Preface

The longest book of the Bible begins by describing someone who is blessed (Ps 1:1–3). Such a person does not walk with the wicked, stand with sinners, or sit with scoffers. Instead, they delight in God’s law, meditating on it day and night. They are further described as a tree that is located in an ideal setting—it is planted by streams of water. Water brings nourishment and sustenance to a tree. Without water, a tree will wither and die. But with sufficient water comes growth, causing the tree to produce its fruit. Where the tree is planted makes all the difference. If it is planted by a stream, it has a continual source of life-giving water.

God’s word is the water that nourishes the soul. Without it, we spiritually wither or shrivel, and in order to continue “life as normal” we are forced to draw sustenance from other places—places that were never designed to give us what only God can. The goal of this series is to help you experience God’s blessing by planting you beside the stream of God’s life-giving word. Each volume consists of forty days of guided Bible study through a particular book (or books) of the New Testament. And each day’s study consists of five components:

1.Read the passage of Scripture.

2.Meditate on the meaning of the text.

3.Reflect on Christ, since all the promises of God are “yes” and “amen” in him (2 Cor 1:20).

4.Apply God’s Word because it is alive and active, and is what God uses to transform us into the image of his Son.

5.Pray, asking for God’s help.

Additionally, the Study It Further section provides a way for you to dig deeper by examining how the Old Testament provides the background for the passage, by looking at a particular word or theme elsewhere in the New Testament, or by encouraging you to consider how the passage relates to you personally.

So, drink deeply from God’s word. Let us not be like those who are influenced by the things of this world, causing us to drift further and further away from God (from walking, to standing, and eventually to sitting with the wicked). Instead, let us be planted in the word, drawing continual nourishment for our souls through the life-giving and fruit-producing words of the living God.

Benjamin L. Merkle

Series Editor

Introduction to 2 Timothy and Titus

The apostle Paul likely met Timothy for the first time during the course of his second missionary journey. Although Timothy was certainly well-versed in the Hebrew Scriptures (2 Tim 3:15), it may well have been Paul who led him to saving faith in Jesus (see 1 Cor 4:15–17; 1 Tim 1:2). Although we don’t know how Titus came to faith in Christ, he was clearly a member of Paul’s inner circle of highly trusted friends and traveling companions. A compelling case can be made that Titus accompanied Paul on a missionary journey to Crete (Titus 1:5), most likely after the events of Acts 28 and before the composition of 2 Timothy. The two of them established a church on the island, after which Paul departed, leaving Titus there to oversee its early growth. A lawyer named Zenas, together with another brother, Apollos (Titus 3:13), are thought to have carried the letter to Titus in Crete.

Paul’s second letter to Timothy, and his short letter to Titus, have exerted a tremendous influence on the life of all Christians, elders, pastors, and other church leaders in particular. Whereas Paul most likely wrote Titus (as well as 1 Timothy) after his release from his first Roman imprisonment (the approximate date of which would be no later than AD 62), 2 Timothy was written during Paul’s second Roman imprisonment. He is incarcerated in the belly of a Roman prison, perhaps only weeks away from being beheaded on the order of Nero, emperor of Rome. There is a sense, then, that what we have in this short epistle is Paul’s last will and testament. It is his concluding exhortation not only to Timothy but to the entire church of Jesus Christ. Although we can’t be certain, Luke may have served as Paul’s amanuensis, or scribe, in the composition of this letter.

While some may think it more appropriate to study 1 and 2 Timothy together, rather than 2 Timothy and Titus, the latter pairing is more plausible if for no other reason than that they are Paul’s final two letters. There is a sense of urgency in Titus and 2 Timothy, especially relating to the threat of false teachers, persecution, and the need for endurance. Titus was likely written in the waning months of Paul’s life and 2 Timothy perhaps only weeks prior to his execution. They both serve as Paul’s final and thus most mature reflections on the gospel and the need to guard its purity. There is also the special, spiritual relationship that both men sustained with Paul. Timothy is his “beloved child” (2 Tim 1:2) and Titus his “true child in a common faith” (Titus 1:4).

The downside to identifying an overall theme of 2 Timothy and Titus is the tendency to ignore the details of the many particular issues facing both men in their ministries. Still, though, we can easily see in these two epistles Paul’s pressing concern for the godly character of both men and the threat from false teachers who were seemingly indifferent to God’s standards of behavior. The repeated appeals to guard the gospel and be alert to those “who turn away from the truth” (Titus 1:14) is only one reason why studying the two together is spiritually beneficial.

AUTHORSHIP

Some scholars have questioned Paul’s authorship of both 2 Timothy and Titus, contending that they are examples of pseudepigraphy in which an anonymous individual or group of individuals composed both letters well after Paul’s death and circulated them under Paul’s name, as if he were the author. However, the evidence supporting Paul having written all of the so-called Pastoral Epistles (1–2 Timothy and Titus) is quite strong and need not detain us here. In any case, most agree that 2 Timothy is undeniably from Paul. What we can know with a high degree of confidence is that Paul’s second Roman imprisonment (the first is described in Acts 28) would have fallen within the range of AD 64–68, the period during which Nero launched his persecution of Christians in the city. Most believe Paul was executed in AD 67 (although some place the date as early as AD 64). Tradition suggests that he was beheaded at Aquae Salviae near the third milestone on what is known as the Ostian Way.

PRIMARY THEME

As the studies below will show, the primary theme of 2 Timothy is Paul’s appeal to his young protégé to endure suffering for the gospel without shame or fear. Paul undoubtedly felt the shadow of the executioner’s sword hovering above his head and thus speaks urgently and passionately about the importance of Christ’s servants remaining faithful to the gospel in the face of all manner of opposition.

The short letter from Paul to Titus contains instructions on how he was to put local church matters in order on the island of Crete (Titus 1:5). We can’t be sure where Paul was when he wrote it, and he may have composed it even in the midst of his missionary journey, most likely no later than AD 62. By the time Titus received the letter, Paul would have arrived in Nicopolis (Titus 3:12), a port city on the western coast of central Greece.

APOSTLES OR FOLLOWERS?

There is considerable debate as to whether Timothy and Titus were apostles. Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians came from “Paul, Silvanus [Silas], and Timothy” (1 Thess 1:1). Later, in chapter 2, Paul appears to include those two men with him in the company of apostles: “Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ” (1 Thess 2:6). The primary reason for excluding Timothy is the belief that to be an apostle one had to have been an eyewitness to the risen Christ. But if the latter qualification only applied to the original twelve and Paul, it would have no bearing on Timothy’s call to the apostolate. Titus is also often mentioned as a possible apostle, given his prominent role alongside Paul. Although not explicitly called an apostle, his authority as one who labored with Paul suggests that he, too, was regarded as one (see 2 Cor 2:12–13; 7:6, 13, 14; 8:6, 16, 23; 12:18; Gal 2:1–14; 2 Tim 4:10; Titus 1:5).

Those who question whether Timothy and Titus were apostles typically argue that neither of the two were elders or overseers in their respective churches but served as apostolic legates or temporary delegates commissioned by Paul to set matters in place. Of course, this is an argument from silence. Nothing explicitly in either 2 Timothy or Titus precludes the possibility that they served in a local pastoral capacity.

2 Timothy

Day 1

2 Timothy 1:1–2

READ

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

MEDITATE

To what or to whom do you attribute who you are and what you seek to achieve in life? When times are tough and it feels as if the world is aligned against you, what is the anchor that keeps your soul firmly grounded? It is a profoundly important question, one that the apostle Paul never failed to answer explicitly. I am an apostle, says Paul, but be it known that I did not seek this office or achieve it by means of personal effort or talent or skill. I am an apostle “by the will of God” (for similar language, see Rom 1:1; 1 Cor 1:1; Gal 1:1; Eph 1:1; Col 1:1; 1 Tim 1:1). Writing this epistle from a Roman prison cell, with the shadow of impending death hanging over his head, Paul found strength to persevere in the assurance that it was God’s will that had placed him there.

His calling, no less so yours and mine, was “according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus” (1:1). This is a healthy reminder that prepositions are important. “According to” (kata) normally means in conformity with or in accordance with something. Some have suggested that here it means in consequence of, in the sense that the promise of life in Christ served as the foundation of Paul’s apostolic calling. But I believe “according to” more likely directs our attention to the purpose of Paul’s apostleship. That is to say, he is an apostle of Christ Jesus for the purpose of proclaiming the promise of eternal life that can only be found in a personal relationship by faith with Jesus Christ. This is confirmed a few verses later when Paul describes himself as having been “appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher” (1:11) to make known the “life and immortality” that comes through the gospel (1:10).

Together with this promise of life comes “grace, mercy, and peace” (1:2b). We see from this and numerous other texts that God’s “grace” is more than a principle in accordance with which God has forgiven us of our sins. It is also a power, the very presence of the Holy Spirit sustaining and encouraging us in our daily battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil. So, too, God’s mercy and peace are experiential blessings by which God keeps us faithful and strong in whatever adverse circumstances we face. We must never forget that Paul is perhaps no more than days, at most weeks, from suffering execution as a martyr for Christ. He himself would find power to persevere from the grace, mercy, and peace that flows from the heart of God into the heart of each of his children. And, as is typical in Paul’s letters, while he opens with a promise that such blessings will come from God to us, he concludes with the prayer that such will be with us as we press on in life (4:22).

REFLECT ON CHRIST

We live in a day when insisting on the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as the only path to reconciliation with God is ridiculed as arrogant and elitist. Paul, needless to say, would disagree. The promise of eternal life is found in Christ Jesus and in Christ Jesus alone. This is an echo of what is consistently taught elsewhere in the New Testament (see John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 John 2:23). That God should provide for hell-deserving sinners even so much as a single path to forgiveness and salvation is itself a marvelous and immeasurable expression of undeserved mercy.

We should note that what makes this declaration so reassuring is that this “life” is a promise from God. A promise, of course, is only as good and certain as the character of the one who makes it. And it is God himself who promises life to all who by faith embrace Jesus Christ and the sufficiency of his life, death, and resurrection. Scripture doesn’t say that he who has the Son may obtain life, but in the words of John the apostle, “whoever has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12).1

APPLY GOD’S WORD

Paul’s reference to the will of God does not mean that he was coerced against his own will to embrace this calling, but God’s will ultimately accounts for Paul’s authority and the power with which he discharged this ministry. Such is true of each of us, though few, if any of us, I suspect, would lay claim to being an apostle. If you are a faithful wife to your husband and devoted to your children, it is only by God’s will that such is true. If you are a student in seminary, having sensed a call into pastoral ministry, it is only by God’s will that such is true. If you feel the prompting in your heart to take the gospel to an unreached people group and are willing to forego the comforts of life in Western culture, it is only by God’s will that such is true. God has orchestrated life in this way to ensure that he alone receives the glory for whatever we achieve in our various endeavors. It matters little if you are a teacher, a pastor, a housewife, a student, or a construction worker—your labor must always be undertaken with the conscious awareness of having been called by the will of God.

PRAY

Gracious, merciful Heavenly Father, I confess that all the good I have, especially the promise of eternal life in Christ Jesus, is due solely to your kind and benevolent will. Simple words of gratitude seem so inadequate, so disproportionate to such a marvelous blessing that you have bestowed, but I say thank you, nonetheless, to the glory and praise of your great name. Amen.

STUDY IT FURTHER

1.How do we reconcile God’s will for our lives with our personal desires and goals? To which should we give priority?

2.Read Hebrews 6:13–20. When God makes a promise to us, is it always guaranteed to come to pass? How does this passage in Hebrews address that question?

3.Grace, mercy, and peace come to us not only from God the Father but also from Christ Jesus. What does this tell us about the relationship between the Father and the Son? Read Romans 16:27; 1 Corinthians 1:3.

Day 2

2 Timothy 1:3

READ

I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.

MEDITATE

Why does Paul thank God, and for what? We should answer the second question first. Although he won’t mention it explicitly until verse 5, Paul is grateful to God for Timothy’s “sincere faith.” As mundane as this may seem, it is profoundly important from a theological perspective. Paul doesn’t praise Timothy for remaining true to the gospel, as if his commitment were self-generated. Timothy’s faith originated with God. Faith, like repentance, is a gift (Eph 2:8; 2 Tim 2:25; 2 Pet 1:1). Knowing this to be true, every time Paul prays, be it at night or by day, he expresses his gratitude to the one who alone can account for the sincerity of Timothy’s faith.

Paul, like his ancestors, aims to serve God with a clear conscience. Although he is imprisoned and publicly denounced, Paul knows that in the sight of God he has done nothing wrong. His conscience is clear.

But how do you serve a God who has no needs? What do you bring to a God who owns everything? What do you give a God who lacks nothing? We should never think that by serving God we supply him with something he might lack. God is not deficient in any respect. He has no inadequacies for which his people make up. Yes, we, like Paul, serve God through our faith, obedience, and worship, as well as the sacrifices we make to proclaim the gospel. But as Paul himself made clear in his speech on Mars Hill, “the God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24–25; cf. Rom 11:33–36).

Simply put, when we worship, we must never think that God is weak and we bring him strength. We should never think that God is ignorant and we supply him with knowledge. God is not helpless or confused, and we should never serve him as if by doing so we can compensate for his shortcomings. God didn’t need Paul’s service any more than he needs ours. So why, then, does he so often speak of himself as God’s “servant” or as one who “serves” God (Rom 1:1; 12:1)?

We are rightly called God’s “servants” insofar as we submit to his authority and acknowledge his right to tell us to do whatever he pleases. But we have mistakenly interpreted God’s commands as directives for how we are to serve him, when in fact they are God’s way of defining how he wants to serve us. Whenever the Scriptures call for our obedience, we should immediately turn to the Son of God who has promised to carry our burdens and infuse us with his power to do his will. Jesus does not need either Paul’s help or ours. He commands our obedience and then amazingly offers his help. That is why obedience is not hard (see Deut 30:11; Matt 11:28–30 [cf. Matt 23:4]; 1 John 5:3). Christ’s yoke is easy and his burden is light because whatever God requires, he provides. The God who commands is the God who mobilizes all his inexhaustible resources and divine energy on behalf of those who wait on him.

We should not overlook Paul’s reference to his “ancestors” (v. 3). Whether he has in view his immediate ancestors or the patriarchs of the nation does not matter. What is important to note is that Paul understood Christianity not as a deviation or apostasy from Judaism, but as its fulfillment. Far from being an act of disloyalty to his heritage, faith in Christ and service for him is the culmination and a bringing to perfection of the Old Testament hope (see Acts 24:14–16; 26:6–7).

REFLECT ON CHRIST

All of our service must be with the glory of Jesus Christ in view. Peter exhorts us to serve “by the strength that God supplies [not in the strength that you think you supply or muster up or produce]—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Pet 4:11). So, yes, by all means let us join Paul in serving the Lord Jesus Christ, but always as those who receive, not as those who give.

It was Jesus himself who said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45; Matt 20:28). The urgent question pressed on our hearts is whether we know what our most pressing needs are and whether we will let the risen Christ come into our lives to meet those needs, whether we will let him be our servant. In an amazing statement, Jesus said that at his second coming “he will dress himself for service and have them [i.e., us] recline at table, and he will come and serve them” (Luke 12:35–37; see also Isa 64:4).

APPLY GOD’S WORD

These many texts remind me that the radical call to self-sacrificing discipleship and holiness of life is not fundamentally a call to serve Jesus. It is a call to be served by Jesus so that we may then serve others. I once heard John Piper say that our Lord is not a celestial bully who takes selfish delight in flexing his muscles by putting down those who are weaker than he is. Rather, he loves to show off his greatness and glory by being an inexhaustible source of strength to build up weak people like you and me. We honor God, not by pretending to give him what we arrogantly think he needs, but by praying for and posturing ourselves to receive all that he is and has obtained for us in Jesus. The glory of our great God and Savior is most seen when he overflows in abundant kindness to needy people like you and me.

Our service for God is not something we do for him, but things he enables us to do for others. The reason we may confidently sacrifice ourselves in the service of others is because Jesus will sacrifice himself in serving us. He has promised to serve us by sustaining our will as we risk loving those who may not love back. There is nothing to which he calls us that he does not gladly and with unwavering consistency promise to provide that we may fulfill (John 15:5; Rom 15:18; Heb 13:20–21).

PRAY

I thank you, great Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that in your all-sufficiency you graciously supply me with all I need. May I never come to you or pretend to serve you as if you were in need of me. It is I who am in desperate, daily, moment-by-moment need of you. Amen.

STUDY IT FURTHER

1.What is the “conscience”? What role does it play in Christian experience and decision-making? Which is more authoritative: our conscience or the written word of God?

2.Why did Paul think it important to align himself with his “ancestors”? Whom does he have in mind and why is this important?

3.Read Philippians 1:3–4. Why did Paul place such a profound emphasis on constancy in prayer? Are there people in your life for whom you are always in prayer?

Day 3

2 Timothy 1:4–5

READ

As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

MEDITATE

Earlier in verse 2 Paul referred to Timothy as his “beloved child.” Paul had no biological children, but Timothy was as dear and precious to him as any natural son or daughter possibly could be. Paul himself spoke of his “spiritual mother” in Romans 16:13, so it comes as no surprise that he envisioned his relationship with Timothy along familial lines.

Paul does not identify the occasion or cause for Timothy’s tears, but he likely has in mind the time of separation that occurred because of his arrest and subsequent imprisonment. The picture of Timothy’s sorrow as Paul was being dragged off to Rome stimulated the apostle’s desire to be reunited with his spiritual son and experience the joy that this sort of relationship evokes in the human heart.

The more accurate translation of the opening words of verse 4 is “having received a reminder” of your tears, a reference perhaps to the receipt of a letter or some news about Timothy’s condition. We know from Acts 16:1–3 that Timothy’s father was not a Christian. But the young boy was not for this reason at a disadvantage, as both his grandmother and mother were present to train him in the truth of the Scriptures (see 2 Tim 3:14–15). The faith that dwelt in these ladies was certainly that of two devout Israelites who anticipated the coming Messiah. But it was also faith in Jesus Christ as this promised one, given the fact that Paul is confident the same kind of faith now dwells in Timothy.

There is much to learn from Paul’s regular practice of praying for his friends and those converted to Christ through his ministry. What we read here of his prayers for Timothy was not an isolated or rare activity. He prayed for both the Romans (Rom 1:9) and the Christians in Colossae (Col 1:3), in spite of the fact that he had never visited either city and only knew of believers there from having made their acquaintance during prior travels. And, lest we forget, the absence of physical comforts should never factor in to whether or for how long we pray for those with whom God has united us. Paul was alone, in a Roman dungeon, but his intercessory petitions were not for that reason any less frequent or fervent.

Paul was just as committed to requesting prayers for himself as he was in praying for those whom he loved. He concludes his letter to the Romans by appealing to them “to strive together” in their “prayers to God” on his behalf (Rom 15:30). Whether they are prayers by an apostle for an average believer, or by you and me on behalf of our spiritual leaders, God has called us to partner with him in the implementation of his will on the earth. We dare not neglect so great a privilege and so effective a power.

REFLECT ON CHRIST

When Paul prayed for Timothy, or Timothy for Paul, the standard verbiage was to ask the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. But this is more than mere verbiage; it is profoundly theological and reflects the biblical emphasis on the role of the Trinity in the prayer lives of God’s people.

Jesus assured his followers that “if you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14). Praying “in the name” of Jesus is far more than simply tacking those words onto the back end of our petitions. We must never think that there is some magical power in specific words. The power of prayer is related to the person whose name we utter. To ask “in Jesus’s name” is to do so with a conscious dependence on his sinless life, substitutionary death, and bodily resurrection as the sole grounds on which we can approach the Father. It is to pray with one supreme desire, that the name of Jesus be extolled and adored and that his will be done. And when this praying is done in the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:26–27; Eph 6:18; Jude 20), we can rest assured that our petitions are heard and whatever grace and mercy we need will be supplied (Heb 4:16).

APPLY GOD’S WORD