A special prayer for one of Paul's friends: Philemon

One thing I’m starting to love about Paul’s letters is that so many of them contain prayers for the church receiving them. He wrote a brief letter to his friend Philemon, which also begins with a prayer.

While in a Roman prison, Paul met a man named Onesimus, grew quite fond of him, and came to rely on him. When Paul wrote letters, he couldn’t just put a stamp on them and expect the post office to get it where it was going. He had to enlist the help of trusted couriers. Who better than Onesimus to carry Ephesians and Colossians back to his home?

There was one problem. Onesimus was a runaway slave. Going back to Colossae meant risking his life. His master could beat him to a pulp or even kill him and no one would even sympathize. Perhaps he had been insulted or mistreated by his master once too often, and that is why he ran away. Fortunately, Paul knew his master and had led him to Christ. Philemon was Onesimus’ master and host of a house church.

So Onesimus carried back three letters, including one to Philemon. The newly saved Onesimus returned home with the intention of being the most obedient and loyal slave in town, as Paul had taught him. Paul’s letter asks Philemon not only to receive Onesimus back as a slave, but love him as a brother in Christ—as his equal.

Studying the letter reveals a fascinating array of ways that Paul seeks to persuade Philemon without issuing a direct order, yet without leaving him any possibility of denying the request. For example, the letter was addressed not only to Philemon, but also to the entire church that met in his house.

Paul writes that he always mentions Philemon in his prayers. That phrase occurs in many of the epistles. With all the churches he founded and all the individuals he led to Christ, he must have had a very large prayer list. In the days before Twitter, he could not possibly have known about very many specific needs.

He also had to pray intently for his own ministry and his own discernment. He had to meet people, preach, get in and out of trouble, and so on. Simply mentioning people in God’s throne room, without saying anything else about them must have enough power that we should certainly do it more than most Christians probably do.

We usually have someone’s needs in mind. Paul gives thanks for Philemon, remembering good things about him. That’s certainly a good way to pray for someone, especially considering that there are both good and bad things about everyone.

When we pray, it’s much more beneficial for us when we give thanks for the good instead of complaining about the bad. God already knows more about both than we can ever imagine.

Our prayers don’t inform God of anything, but as we pray, we remind ourselves. Until we all become more Christlike than I suspect most of us are, it is often easier for us to complain than to be grateful. Why drag that habit into our prayers, too?

I really like the NASB for v. 6: "I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing that is in you for Christ’s sake."

Paul is not talking about sharing faith by knocking on doors or shouting on street corners. He is talking about sharing faith by living a godly life. Philemon needs to know the good in him, and the people who meet him need to see it in him. As St. Francis of Assisi advised, preach all the time, and when necessary, use words.

After the prayer comes a word of personal testimony. Paul knows that Philemon loves him. He also knows that Philemon’s life and words refresh other Christians. Knowledge of that love gives Paul great joy and comfort. Praying for others is good. Sometimes we also need to let them know how much they mean to us.