Increase and Overflow

Paul asks how he can adequately thank God for the Thessalonians in return for the great joy they bring him in God's presence. The question is too large for a neat answer. Gratitude becomes prayer.

He and his companions pray night and day to see the Thessalonians face to face and supply what is lacking in their faith. Paul is not describing the church as a failed project that needs a technician to finish it. He is describing the ordinary work of Christian care: faith can be real and still need strengthening.

The prayer asks God the Father and the Lord Jesus to direct their way back to Thessalonica. Paul wants to return, but he puts the direction of that return in God's hands. His desire is intense without becoming a demand that every obstacle must immediately disappear.

Then Paul prays for the Thessalonians themselves. May the Lord cause them to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone else, just as the missionaries' love overflows toward them. Love is not treated as a fixed amount that a person either has or lacks. It can grow, widen, and become more generous.

The aim is that God establish their hearts in blamelessness and holiness before God at the coming of the Lord Jesus with all His saints. Blamelessness does not mean a life without any need for forgiveness. It means a life brought into integrity before God. Holiness is not a performance meant to impress neighbors; it is a heart being steadied for Jesus' presence.

The prayer gives a household a better picture of growth than constant self-measurement. Ask not only whether people have avoided a mistake. Ask whether love is increasing, whether it includes people outside the immediate circle, and whether the heart is becoming steadier before God.

There is also tenderness in Paul's unfinished feeling. He can thank God and still pray for more. Mature faith is not embarrassed to be grateful for what has grown while asking for the next work God will do.