Hebrews 13:18-19 "Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly. (19) But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner."
"Pray for us." Do those words not apply to each and every one
of us? We all stand in need of each others' prayer. As I read those three
words this morning, it seemed to have an impact on me concerning the writer of
Hebrews. He was asking those to whom he was writing to pray for him. I
have tried to avoid naming the writer because he does not identify himself in
this book. Most people believe the writer to have been the Apostle Paul.
This book fits his style of writing and certainly he was most knowledgeable
concerning the things of the law in contrast to the things concerning grace.
We tend to think that Paul as very straightforward and was not intimidated by the
strongest followers of the law. Yet as he comes to the conclusion of the book,
he instructs them to "obey them that have the rule over you, and submit
yourselves." In this book, he has just contradicted everything the
scribes and Pharisees had been teaching. Actually, he had not contradicted the
law; rather, he took the explanation of the law to the highest level. Jesus
said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am
not come to destroy, but to fulfil." (Matthew 5:17) I can only think
that those who had taught man's fulfillment of the law would not think very
highly of Paul's teaching concerning grace. Actually, we do not have to
simply think that. We know they despised him and tried to kill him on many
different occasions as he spoke concerning the grace of God through Christ's
fulfillment of the penalty of the law.
Now as he concludes, he simply says: "Pray for us." I think I
would have expected him to say something like, "I'm praying for you."
And no doubt he did pray for them often. Paul began the majority of his
writings with prayer. And yet, he also understood his need for prayer.
Pray that we will behave honestly; that is, to behave ourselves in a manner
that reflects those things we are proclaiming as Gospel truth. Pray for us that
we will be able to come to you and be restored to your fellowship in the
Gospel. And as he wrote in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, "Pray for us that
the Word of God may have free course."
In this time we are living, each of us needs the prayers of one another.
I love the old hymn, "I need the prayers of those I love, while trav'ling
o'er life's rugged way. That I may true and faithful be, and live for Jesus
every day." (Hymn, I Need the Prayers by James D. Vaughan)