The Apostle looks forward “unto the day of Christ” (ver. 10, R.V.), and then speaks of the Christian life being lived “unto the glory and praise of God” (ver. 11). Everything is to tend towards the manifestation of the splendour of God in human life whereby others will be led to acknowledge and praise Him (Matt. v. 16). And this will reach its culminating point in the “day of Christ,” that time when Christian people will stand before their Master and receive the reward of their life and service rendered to Him (ch. i. 6, ii. 16). This was the Apostle’s constant thought, and towards this he strained every nerve (ch. iii. 11-21). It expresses the highest ideal of Christian living, for day by day we are to live with this wonderful thought of “the glory and praise of God,” and day by day we are to look forward to the coming of Christ as that day in which our life will find its fullest realisation, its complete satisfaction, and its unending joy. And all this reminds us of the essential simplicity of life, for there is nothing complex, or involved, or mysterious, or difficult in a life lived day by day to the praise of God and in the light of the coming of our Master.
As we review this prayer we may feel perfectly sure that the Apostle meant it to be answered, and indeed, he himself gives us the hint of how this may come to pass when he tells us that the fruits of righteousness are “through Jesus Christ.” This is only another way of expressing what he has already shown, his confidence that the possession of the Christian life is the guarantee of its complete realisation and full perfection by the indwelling presence and work of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (ch. i. 6). Let us therefore take heart of grace as we contemplate this prayer and the other prayers of the Apostle. We must not be depressed, or disheartened, or discouraged, as we ponder the marvellous details and contemplate the stupendous heights of the Christian life as depicted by St. Paul’s wonderful spiritual insight. On the contrary, we must remind ourselves that he would not have prayed these prayers unless he had been certain that God would answer them, and they will assuredly be answered as we set ourselves resolutely, humbly, lovingly, trustfully to fulfil the required conditions, “through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
APPENDIX.
Considerations of space have prevented the inclusion of all the Prayers of St. Paul, but for the treatment of the prayer in Rom. XV. 13 reference may perhaps be permitted to the author’s Royal and Loyal (ch. v.) and to his Devotional Commentary on Romans (vol. iii. p. 103 ff.). And a fuller treatment of 2 Thess. iii. 16 is given in his The Power of Peace.
For the thorough exegetical foundation of the passages included in these prayers of the Apostle special attention should of course be given to the various modern standard Commentaries. The following have proved of particular value in the preparation of these pages. On Thessalonians: Milligan, Frame, Eadie, and Ellicott. On Romans: Sanday and Headlam, Godet, and the Notes by Lightfoot. On Ephesians: Armitage Robinson, Westcott, and Eadie. On Philippians: Lightfoot and Ellicott. On Colossians: Lightfoot and Ellicott. Preachers will find it nothing short of an education in Greek to ponder the passages under the guidance of these master-minds. The first step in all true expository preaching is the consideration of the words and phrases in order to elicit their full exegetical value. Following this, and based upon it, will come the spiritual teaching and personal application, and for this purpose the following books will be found of great value. On Thessalonians: Denney in the Expositor’s Bible. On Romans: Bishop Moule in the same series. On Ephesians: G. G. Findlay in the Expositor’s Bible, with R. W. Dale’s well-known Lectures. On Philippians: Rainy in the Expositor’s Bible, and Jowett’s The High Calling. On Colossians: Maclaren’s peerless treatment in the Expositor’s Bible, with Bishop Moule’s Colossian Studies, and a useful American work, Oneness with Christ, by Bishop Nicholson. The subject of this book is definitely treated in The Prayers of St. Paul, by W. B. Pope, D.D.; The Pattern Prayer Book, by E. W. Moore; Preces Paulinæ, a valuable old book by an anonymous author, which is now only obtainable second-hand.
On the general subject of Prayer, which will naturally be given attention in the expository preaching and teaching on this special topic of St. Paul’s petitions, the following among other books may perhaps be mentioned: Waiting on God, by Andrew Murray; The Hidden Life of Prayer, by D. M. M’Intyre; Prayer, by M’Conkey; Praying in the Holy Ghost, by G. H. C. Macgregor; Quiet Talks on Prayer, by S. D. Gordon; and Prayer: Its Nature and Scope, by H. C. Trumbull.