Romans 1:10
10 Making request [deomai], if by any means [ei pos]
now [ede] at length [pote] I might have a prosperous journey [euodoo] by [en] the will [thelema] of God [theos] to come [erchomai] unto [pros] you [humas]. KJV-Interlinear
10 always in my prayers making
request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to
you. NASB
Everyone has probably heard from the show, Star Trek,
Spocks common phrase, ‘Live long and prosper.’
But did you know that, that came from Deut. 5:33! And here, we have a similar phrase from Paul,
praying for a prosperous journey.
Pauls prayer is for success in his mission and
travels to Rome, as they are related to the scriptures, his teaching, and their
ultimate reception by the people in Rome, as well as all others who read these
words.
And so, we all have journeys to make in our
life. Our life is in itself a journey. And is there anyone who would want an
unsuccessful journey as far as their life goes?
Well, if you are normal, then you probably want to be successful.
The key to success is found in your spiritual
life. If your spiritual life is
functioning, then you will have a successful life. If your spiritual life is not functional,
then your life’s story will be one of disappointment.
And remember, your story is not over until God
takes you out of this world. That is
when your book closes, which sums up your life and after that your eternity
begins with the foundation or lack of it, which you established here in this
world.
Prayer for a successful journey is reasonable, but
remember too, that God has given us all the necessary resources for that
success, namely doctrine and your volition to study.
If you do nothing, you’ll get nothing. So do not pray for success and then sit down
and do nothing.
Success in life is a perfect example. Get an education, and/or training, and/or
experience, go out and hunt for employment, get it and stick with it. Doing nothing gets you nothing.
God gives us the tools and resources. We just need to use them. So, a well-balanced spiritual life requires
daily study and learning, prayer, and the use of that knowledge.
Paul prayed for his success, and traveled and
studied and wrote and taught.
You should too, pray, and study, and pursue your
daily life accordingly.
