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Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me,<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Christians should ask for prayer help when they need it.<\/p>\n The Greek word translated \u201cbeg<\/span>\u201d is parakal\u014d<\/em><\/span>. It is made up of para<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cto the side of\u201d and a form of the verb kale\u014d<\/em><\/span> meaning \u201cto call.\u201d So parakal\u014d<\/em> <\/span>literally means, \u201cto call someone alongside.\u201d This word is sometimes translated as \u201cexhort\u201d or \u201cencourage.\u201d In John 14:26<\/span><\/strong>, the Holy Spirit is referred to as our parakl\u0113tos <\/span><\/em>(comforter or helper). In the current verse, however, I think that the literal meaning makes the most sense.<\/p>\n \u201cStrive together<\/span>,\u201d is translated from the Greek word sunag\u014dnidzomai<\/em><\/span>. This is another compound word made up of sun<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201ctogether\u201d and ag\u014dnidzomai<\/em> <\/span>(from which we get our English word agonize), meaning \u201cto strive, struggle, or contend for victory.\u201d It generally refers to fighting or wrestling, but figuratively it is the task of faith in persevering amid temptation and opposition.<\/p>\n Paul knows that he is soon to be on his way to Judea to deliver the gift from the Greek Churches to the poor saints in the church in Jerusalem. He knows that the journey and the time of visitation in Jerusalem will be dangerous. Just how dangerous he may not have known, but on his way there, having stopped at Caesarea, he received a message from a prophet named Agabus. Here\u2019s what he was told:<\/p>\n When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own<\/em> <\/span>hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him<\/em> <\/span>into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ” <\/span>(Acts 21:11<\/strong><\/span>)<\/p>\n I\u2019m sure that Paul believed the prophetic message, but he was not deterred in making this trip because he believed that God was leading him there. However, knowing that there was potential danger, he asked the Christians in Rome to pray with him. He starts out this current verse with, \u201cNow I call you alongside, brethren.\u201d Paul was asking the Christians in Rome to spiritually come alongside him and join him in prayer.<\/p>\n But he was not just asking them to offer up a couple of sentence prayers for him. He asked them if they would, \u201cstrive together with me in prayers.\u201d So we see that Paul was asking the Christians in Rome to join him in fervent, heartfelt prayer, striving against the forces of Paul\u2019s opposition.<\/p>\n We will see in the next verse that Paul understood what he would be up against in Jerusalem and wanted all the prayer support he could get. The thing that amazes me is the fact that the great Apostle Paul, who repeatedly demonstrated the power of God and the goodness of the gospel of Christ, wasn\u2019t afraid to ask for prayer support.<\/p>\n Is that what you do when you are in the midst of spiritual battles? Do you ask your Christian friends and members of your church to pray with you and for you? Or are you afraid to ask? Paul wasn\u2019t!<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\nTruth to Learn<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Behind the Words<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Meaning Explained<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Application<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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