Romans 1:8-10a

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness , whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers

Romans 1:8-10a

Our everyday understanding of the Christian life is far too insular, far too individual. By rightly concerning ourselves with the interior state of our own hearts and souls we too often fashion islands of faith. Our fears become too personal, our prayers mere recitations of our desires. Paul's concern for the Roman believers should remind us that our thoughts should be for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to be cognizant of their concerns, their needs, their good. Beyond that, we should also be in prayer not primarily for ourselves but for the needs of our co-laborers. This prioritization of prayer not only puts their requests squarely before the Lord but also relegates our own needs to their proper place. George A. Buttrick affirms this ordering of our prayer life by advising personal petition last after intercession, "The fourth order in our prayer may be petition. It comes last, not because it is most important, but because it needs the safeguard of earlier prayer." Lord let us order our prayers and lives rightly.