Two elements sum up this beautiful prayer.
He asks for the Divine Approval on their life: “That God may count you worthy of your calling.” God’s “calling” is His summons into His kingdom. The kingdom may be regarded both as present and future. In the Gospels it would seem as though the “calling” were limited to His invitation or appeal, while in the Epistles it appears to include the believer’s response to the call. For this reason it is sometimes spoken of as God’s “calling,” and at others, as in this case, as “your calling.” The thought of a Divine calling responded to by the believer is prominent in the teaching of St. Paul, and should be carefully studied. Even in these Epistles to the Thessalonians, the idea is frequently found (1 Thess. ii. 12, iv. 7, v. 24; 2 Thess. ii. 14).
“Count you worthy” is a notable phrase repeated from verse 5: “Counted worthy of the kingdom of God.” Seven times this verb is used by St. Paul. As we ponder it we catch something of the wondrous glory of our life as contemplated by the King of Kings. Surely, it may be said, the believer can never be “worthy”; and this is true if he is considered in himself. But just as it is with justification, which means “accounted just,” so with sanctification—by the unspeakable grace of God we are actually “counted worthy.” Hooker’s well-known words about justification may be quoted in this connection as illustrating the thought of worthiness in sanctification. “God doth justify the believing man, yet not for the worthiness of his belief, but for His worthiness Who is believed.” So we may say, God doth count the believing man worthy, yet not for any personal worthiness, but for the worthiness which is wrought by grace. We must, however, not fail to notice that the believer is responsible for his use of grace, and that the very thought of God counting us worthy has included in it the thought of scrutiny with a view to decision.
He seeks the Divine Blessing on their life: “And fulfil every desire of goodness and every work of faith with power.” This, which is the rendering of the R.V., seems, on the whole, the more intelligible and appropriate. It means, “all that goodness can desire, and all that faith can effect.” It blends together the two ideas of aspiration and activity—the aspiration of goodness and the activity of trust—and it prays that God would fulfil with power, or powerfully, every aspiration that comes from goodness, and every activity that springs from faith. Just as in the familiar words of the Collect for Easter Day, God first puts into “our minds good desires,” and then by His “continual help” we are enabled to “bring the same to good effect.” By “His holy inspiration we think those things that are good, and by His merciful guiding we perform the same.”
3. The Consequences of the Prayer.
Notice the twofold consequence here stated.
He expects that God will be glorified in us. Glory in the New Testament, and, indeed, in the whole Bible, is the outshining of splendour, and the Apostle seeks in answer to prayer that Christ may reveal in our lives the glory of His grace. This includes both our present and future lives. Christ is to be manifested by and glorified in us here, and He will be manifested by and glorified in us hereafter (ver. 10). What an unspeakable privilege and what a profound responsibility lie in this simple fact that Christ is to shine forth from our lives, and that men around us are to see something of Christ as they associate with us. One of the most beautiful testimonies ever given to a Christian was that of a poor dying outcast girl to a lady who had befriended her: “I have not found it hard to think about God since I knew you.”
He also expects that we shall be glorified in Christ. This is, in a way, more wonderful still. There is to be a reciprocal glory; and, actually, marvellous though it seems, we are to have our share of glory in Christ. This, again, has its application to the present, as well as to the future, for every life that is loyal to Christ is glorified in union and communion with Him. And in the great future it will be seen and known on every hand who have been faithful to their Lord and Master. “Then shall the righteous shine forth as stars in the kingdom of their Father.”
4. The Guarantee of the Prayer.
The Apostle scarcely ever prayed without reminding himself and his readers of the secret whereby prayer is answered. Accordingly he closes this prayer with a reminder that the guarantee of its fulfilment is the grace of God—“According to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”