16Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.17I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Have to admit, Paul comment in verse 17 made me smile. "I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write." Hmm...wonder if his handwriting was as bad as mine. :) It certainly must have been distinctive. :)
Paul closes with a prayer, asking that the Lord of Peace himself grant peace to them at all times in every way. That the Lord be with them. And that God's grace be with them.Why is it significant to ask for this (peace) for these people? JFB commentator in e-sword mentions that peace is asked for because of the disruptive, disorderly people that had come into the Thessalonican circles. So asking for peace is a form of protection for this church. I like that. It really shows what this church needed.
And Paul is pretty specific, he prays that God himself will give them peace, and that he do so in every way and at all times. No half measures! :)
Peace, it's a difficult path, but it can be ever so successful.
2 comments:
I just love 2 Thess. 3:16. If Paul is asking, it's because he knows that it's possible. He knows that "peace at all times in every way" is possible. What a relief floods me when I read that!
Jennifer, thank you for stopping by. Peace, I have to admit, it's not always the most easy thing to strive for, but it is something we aught do regardless isn't it? A more difficult habit to encourage.
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