“Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
– Hebrews 13:20–21
Hebrews 13:20–21 Reminds Us God Will Equip Us
What a great benediction to close the Book of Hebrews. Now, a benediction is basically a prayer and so what I want to do is I just want to pray these verses, Hebrews 13:20–21 over you, over your life. Let me pray. Oh God of peace, you who have brought again from the dead Jesus. Oh God, we praise you for raising Jesus from the dead, for conquering sin and death, for the peace that is found even as we saw in Hebrews 2.
Call out to God who in His grace has saved you in Christ, that He will equip you to do his will and to please Him.
You have destroyed the one who has the power of death, the devil. You have destroyed death itself. We have peace in you. You are the great shepherd of the sheep. God, you love and care for your people. You lead and guide your people. You direct your people like a shepherd does sheep. And you have made all this possible by Jesus’ blood, an eternal covenant with your people. You have saved us from our sins through the blood of Jesus. God, I pray to you, the God of peace, the great shepherd of the sheep who’s brought from the dead Jesus, who’s made it possible for us to be in an eternal covenant relationship with you. God, I pray for men, women, students, children who are listening to this right now.
Hebrews 13:20–21 Leads Us to Pray for God to Equip Us
I pray that you would equip them with everything good that they may do your will. God, I pray for them. I pray that you would help them to do your will today, to do your will in their lives, and you would equip them with all they need to do that. God, that you would give them purity, holiness, strength, grace, wisdom. They need you to do your will. They need your grace.
God, I pray that you would equip them with everything good to do your will. They might walk in your will. God, give them single-minded focus on obeying your word and walking in your will and give them the grace to do that. Help them to overcome temptation. Help them to endure through the trials they’re walking through. Give them wisdom in their decisions.
Give them purity in their desires and their thoughts. God, I pray please equip them with everything good to do your will. Work in them that which is pleasing to you. God, may it be so. May their lives be pleasing to you as you work in them that which is pleasing in your sight. All of this possible only through Jesus Christ who is worthy of glory forever and ever.
This Verse Leads Us to Praise God For His Greatness
Oh God, I pray all these things in my own life and then specifically for the lives of those who are listening right now that the name of Jesus would be glorified in me forever and ever. God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus. You’re the great shepherd of the sheep. By the blood of your eternal covenant, equip brothers and sisters now who are listening to this with everything good that they may do your will, working in them that which is pleasing in your sight through Jesus Christ to who belongs glory forever. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
