Our Devotional in Paul’s prayers continues.
2 Timothy 1:3-7 I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
The actual prayer content of this prayer report is pretty low, but Paul’s attitude toward Timothy is worth imitating.
The content, as with so many of Paul’s opening thoughts toward churches, is thanksgiving. Verse 3 implies that Paul is giving thanks for Timothy as he remembers him day and night in his prayers. He recalls Timothy’s tears, probably at a recent parting, and longs to be reunited with Timothy, not just so Timothy will be joyful, but so that Paul can be joyful as well.
In verse 5 he gets to the real content of his thanksgiving, which is Timothy’s sincere faith. This faith came through the godly influence of his grandmother and his mother – a great reminder of how important our faith may be to the faith of our children. I have no doubt that Paul’s thanksgiving is also for them.
Steve Green: Find us Faithful
Knowing that Timothy has a tendency to timidity, Paul then exhorts him to ‘fan into flame’ his giftedness so that he can minister with power. love and self-discipline. While not formally a part of either a prayer or a prayer report, this last statement is a great one to pray for people. Imagine the impact if all your friends pursued hard the ministry gifts God has given them, and did so in a spirit that depended on God’s power, shared his love and was able to control their temptations to timidity, indifference or distraction?
Casting Crowns: Caught in the Middle
