Hebrews 13:18-19
Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience…that I may be restored to you the sooner.
As we come to the end of the book of Hebrews, the author asks his audience to remember him in prayer. This request was very important as the original audience was struggling in their Christian walk because of persecution. The many warnings through the book might make one think that most of this audience had already apostatized from the faith. But, there were some who remained true to their beliefs because only the prayers of Christians can avail anything. The prayer request is written in general terms, asking everyone to pray because he does not know exactly who in his audience has authentic faith. The warnings given do not prove that salvation can be lost, nor does the request for prayer not prove that all were saved. Some had joined the church without true faith just as it is done today. These without true faith are the only ones who fell away because their faith was not authentic. Those with true faith persevered, and the request for prayers shows that the author expected that true believers were still in his audience. The author’s prayer request is for him to be restored to them sooner rather than later. But, God’s timing is not our timing and we must yield to God’s timing for answered prayer. God just may act now rather than make us wait. We do not know God’s will, and when we pray and things happen, from our perspective, God has moved faster than we thought He would. But, God always knows when He will move and when we will pray. Everything that has ever happened has been ordained by God before the foundation of the world. But we do not know the decrees of God, and His ways are beyond our finding out. Therefore, we must live by His revealed will in Scripture, and when we pray, we can be confident that God will accomplish His purposes.
Source: S C Ball May 6, 2024
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