"To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess 1:11-12 ESV).Here Paul lets us in on his prayer for this persecuted church. It sounds a little different than our normal prayers for brothers and sisters in Christ who are undergoing difficulties, doesn't it? I have been struck recently by the huge amount of material in the New Testament that seems to indicate that suffering and persecution is a normal part of the Christian life.
Instead of praying that these believers would be able to escape hardship, he prays that God would make them worthy of his calling, a calling that includes suffering (v. 5). Instead of praying that God would deliver them out of their difficulties, he prays for God's will to be done and their sanctification achieved through it. Finally, he prays for Jesus Christ to be glorifed throughout this persecution and for the church to experience God's grace in this trial.
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