As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.
– 2 Thessalonians 3:13
I want to encourage you to memorize that verse today. Just let it soak into your heart. It’s a simple verse worthy of meditation. And I know there are some of you listening to this right now, likely many of you. You need this word, particularly right now just imprinted on your heart.
So maybe try to say it out loud with me. As for you, brothers. As for you, brothers.
Say it one more time. As for you, brothers, do not grow weary. Do not grow weary. Do not grow weary. As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good… in doing good.
One more time. In doing good. See if you can say it with me. Now. As for you brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.
2 Thessalonians 3:13 Encourages the Weary to Persevere Doing Good
It’s weary doing good. That’s the clear implication of this verse, that we are prone to weariness in doing good. I know there’s so many people listening right now who are doing good by the grace of God in you. You are living to follow Jesus and to love the people around you. You live to serve the people around you and to do the good things God’s called you to do in your life and your family and your work.
And it’s hard and you’re weary, you’re exhausted, you’re tired, and you need some encouragement. And God’s word in this moment is giving you that encouragement. God himself through his Word, his Spirit is saying to your heart right now: As for you brother or sister, don’t grow weary in doing good. Trust the Lord that as you do good, he’s using your life to bless, encourage, build up others to do good in ways far beyond what you can even see.
2 Thessalonians 3:13 Reminds Us to Depend on God’s Strength
Trust God with the fruit of your doing good, and ask God for strength, for power. Just think about Colossians 1:29. We’ve prayed to toil and struggle with all his energy powerfully working within you. So know that God wants to give you strength today so that you might not grow weary in doing good, and don’t give in, today or any of these weary days to the temptation of the adversary to stop doing good. Just to give up or quit. Or just shrink back from doing good in all the ways God has called you to, knowing that your goodness by God’s grace is bear fruit and bringing him glory, and all of this is really good for you.
So God, I just pray these words over the weary today, over anyone and everyone who is weary in doing good. I pray for your strength over them, for your energy to powerfully work within them for the power of your Spirit, to comfort them amidst weariness and empower them amidst weariness. Be strength in their weakness I pray, oh God, so that good works might continue to flow in ways that bring glory to your name and in ways that are good for us.
Prayer for the Hmong Njua People
Oh God, help us to never tire of doing good, and we pray specifically today for the Hmong Njua people who have never been reached with the gospel. God, we pray that this people group engrossed in shamanism and ethnic religions would be reached with the goodness of Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray for brothers and sisters around the world who are working for the spread of the gospel among unreached people.
God, we pray that you would help them not to grow weary in doing good. Help them to keep pressing on and doing good. God, we just pray for missionaries. We pray for Indigenous brothers and sisters on the front lines of unreached people. God, please give them an extra measure of strength today. That they might not grow weary in doing good, until all the nations are reached with your grace, for your glory, and for our joy as your people.
We pray this according to your Word in 2 Thessalonians 3:13, even as we thank you for the way your Words speaks to us in ways we need it on a day-by-day basis. In Jesus name, Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
