SOUNDING OUT:
Paul Prayed for Those with Whom He Moved God’s Word. (Part 1 of 2)

  Paul’s prayer life was full of thankfulness. Thanking God for people was a habit he had developed. We are motivated to pray for people for whom we are thankful. He prayed for his servant-leaders and communicated with them regularly.

  The word “always” goes with the word “thank” not “mention.” The New Living Translation reads, “I always thank God when I pray for you, Philemon.” There is a discipline to remember people with thanksgiving.

  "Mention" is the Greek word, mneia. Here in Philemon it is a present participle meaning that it is continuous, repetitive, or habitual action that occurs at the same time as the main verb, to thank. This is how he thanked God, he made mention of Philemon in his prayers. Mneia occurs seven times and is translated in the KJV as "mention" four times and "remembrance" three times. It is one of nine Greek words related to memory or remembrance, and Vine says it is always used in connection with prayer. Let’s look at those seven uses and see how Paul habitually used a lift list and prayed for people.

  The heart of the servant-leader effervesces in prayer for his people. At the very heart of our spiritual service to God is habitual fervent prayer for those whom we serve. We do it without ceasing with the spirit. The spiritual intercession that we make for God’s people is our simplest service. We do it by the spirit, without great fanfare, knowing that we make intercession for the saints according to the will of God in this way.

  “For God is my witness,” emphasizes how earnest and serious Paul is about this. It notes a solemn oath. Similar phrases also occur in II Corinthians 1:23; Philippians 1:8; and I Thessalonians 2:5. Here in Romans 1:9, it calls attention to something that cannot be over emphasized. At the very beginning of the foundational epistle to our administration Paul impresses on the minds of the Romans his commitment to pray for them.

  I think it is important to note that Paul doesn’t simply say, ”Philemon, I pray for you.” He says, “I make mention of you in my prayers.” How thankful I am for a mother who put me to bed at night and taught me to say my prayers. At that time in her life she didn’t have a great deal of knowledge of God and His Word, but she had a great love for Him. That love did eventually motivate her to find out more about Him.

  Like I said she didn’t know a lot, but we did the Lord’s prayer and the “Now I lay me….” She didn’t stop there however, we remembered everyone in our family and our extended family of grandparents and friends who were dear to us. How wonderful to learn to close out my day in prayer to God recognizing His blessing and protection.

  One of the first things I learned after getting born again around the age of sixteen was to not only close my day in prayer, but to also open it that way. To greet my heavenly Father with praise and thanksgiving in the morning certainly strengthens me for the day ahead. There is nothing that is going to happen that day that we cannot handle together, so I like to get that in my thinking as early as I can each day.

  “Make mention,” translated from the Greek words, poie? mneia, means roughly, to do a remembrance. This refers to an established habit of prayer in the spirit. I refer to it as doing my lift-list. Establishing the habit of praying by the spirit for those with whom you move God’s Word is vital to every servant-leader. As believers we develop a lifestyle of prayer and pray prolifically for people and situations.

  The establishment of habitual prayer is a discipline that facilitates the remembrance that these scriptures talk about. We direct our hearts to God in prayer for those with whom we move God’s Word in a daily habitual manner. Then as we go through our day, our hearts are directed to God in prayer as specific individuals and situations present themselves. God will impress people upon our hearts, and when He does we should faithfully make intercession for them according to the will of God by speaking in tongues. However, I believe what the Bible refers to, as poie? mneia, making mention or doing a remembrance is a specific commitment that people who move the Word together make to each other. It definitely makes an impact and brings people together, building love and compassion between them.

  Paul says the same thing to the Ephesians.

  This second occurrence of mneia establishes this habit pattern of the servant-leader. Faithfulness to maintain this remembrance in prayer is vital to the servant-leader. We habitually remember people in our prayers.

  This use of mneia is not accompanied by poie? or ech?. It doesn’t refer to doing our lift-lists, but to the discipline to pray for people as they come to our remembrance. These two types of prayer form a solid foundation upon which we can build loving, caring relationships. Our predetermined habitual prayer times, and our discipline to speak in tongues for people when God brings them to our remembrance forms the bedrock of our service to God and His people.

  Do you see the pattern: thanks, always or without ceasing, making mention, prayers? This refers again to doing our lift-lists, our habitual remembrance of those with whom we move God’s Word with prayer in the spirit.

  One of the things that Timotheus reported back to Paul was the good remembrance that the Thessalonians had for those who served them the Word of life. Like Philippians 1:3, this verse refers to how the discipline to pray for those who feed us God’s Word, endears one to another. The diligence to keep one another in our prayers builds the great desire to see one another and enjoy the pleasure of each other’s company. This mutual prayer unites people and builds our love and compassion for each other.

  Not only was Paul faithful to pray for Philemon, but Philemon’s prayer for Paul would be instrumental in securing Paul’s release from prison and facilitating them getting together soon. Toward the end of Philemon Paul mentions Philemon’s prayers for him, also. When you move the Word together, you make memories together. When you reflect back upon them, it builds love and unity between believers.

  Paul has warm and tender memories of Philemon that come up as Paul prays for him. Paul gives thanks for Philemon’s friendship and his care for the believers. This is quite a statement. This isn’t just a duty or daily regimen; there is an emotional element to it. It is quite an honor to be remembered in prayer to God.

  This last occurrence compliments the first. Again we see the familiar terms; thanks, serve, without ceasing, remembrance, and prayers. Our prayer one for another is vital to our service to God. Paul also notes that he does it night and day.