#4. I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.
Paul asked the church at Rome to pray for his deliverance from "unbelievers" and that his service would be "acceptable to the saints". His desire in these prayers was that he could come to them with joy and be refreshed. That's not necessarily a connection that we understand, but from the perspective of a missionary it makes sense.
Paul knew going into Jerusalem that prison awaited him (Acts 20:23). Yet he also knew that God's sovereignty did not negate the need for prayer - in fact, that God could deliver him through the prayers of the saints (Phil. 1:19). He had earlier requested prayer for deliverence from "evil and perverse men" (2 Thess. 3:2). So his prayer for deliverance is not inconsistent with his trust in God's sovereignty - he just knows that God uses the prayers of the saints as one of His means for deliverance. When God's purpose for Paul in prison was complete, the prayers of the saints would be one of the tools God would use to deliver him.
Paul also wanted his service to the saints at Jerusalem - delivering the offering collected on his missionary journey - to be acceptable to the saints. We know from Scripture Paul wasn't a "people pleaser" - in fact he confronted Peter over that very issue. However, he had a heart of love for the saints and genuinely wanted them to be blessed by the offering. This is the offering that Paul wrote to Corinth about and included donations from the impoverished churches of Macedonia (2 Cor. 8). A lot of people had poured into this offering, and he wanted it to be worthwhile.
It's important to note that Paul doesn't link the successful delivery of the offering with his coming to Rome. He merely asks that it be acceptable so that, if God wills, he could come with "joy". He wanted the task in Jerusalem to be completed and then he could truly enjoy the rest and fellowship in Rome, if God willed. As we know, God did will Paul to go to Rome - in chains. He was delivered from unbelievers - Acts 23 records the conversation overheard by Paul's nephew and the resulting midnight transfer to Caesarea. Paul's request was answered and when he came to Rome, his task in Jerusalem complete, he ministered unhindered despite his chains. We have at least 4 letters to show for his time there.
How does this relate to becoming world Christians? The work our missionaries are doing "over there" is very dear to their hearts. They won't truly enjoy times of rest unless they feel their work was done satisfactorily. So pray for the work! Too often we just pray for their personal needs and their protection - when they want us to pray that their project will be acceptable and their ministry fruitful!
They also need our prayers for deliverance - even if we don't know until after the fact what happened. We have to learn to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's guidance! Here's a good rule of thumb I learned from a former small group leader: If someone is on your mind and heart, just assume that God wants you to pray for them! Even if you don't know what's going on or how to pray, just start praying - trust God to either give you wisdom or take your prayers and do what He needs to with them (Rom. 8:26-27). Another trick I try to use - when I read an article or see a news report from a country where I know someone, I pray for them. It's a fairly easy habit to form and then you will have prayers popping into your head at the oddest times.
Prayer: Lord, help us develop a sensitivity to Your Spirit about times our missionaries need deliverance! Likewise, help them have wisdom about how open to be when requesting prayers. Lord, we also need Your help to pray for the projects dear to their hearts. We pray for success and acceptance of the projects, so that the missionaries can truly enjoy their home visits and rest in the glow of a job well done.
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