<p>3:1- see on Lk. 18:1.</p><p><i>Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, even as also it is with you</i>- Paul's frequent requests for prayer show his need, vulnerability and equality with his converts. We ought to unashamedly ask others for their prayers if we too believe that the prayers of third parties really can influence our path and the success of our preaching work. The word of the Lord was glorified when people believed it (Acts 13:48), but Paul believed that the prayers of others could somehow influence whether individuals believed it or not.<i><br /></i><br />There is an idiom in Scripture which concerns running. To &lsquo;run&rsquo; is sometimes used to describe a man&rsquo;s response to God&rsquo;s word (Ps. 119:32,60; 147:15; Amos 8:11,12; Hab. 2:2; Jn. 8:37 RV; 2 Thess. 3:1 Gk.)-&nbsp; it must be a running, active, speedy response. Dan. 12:4 seems to imply that in the last days, God&rsquo;s word will be clearly understood by the brotherhood and therefore many will &ldquo;run to and fro&rdquo; in response. The more clearly we understand and perceive God&rsquo;s word, the faster we will &lsquo;run&rsquo; in response. We cannot separate our Bible study from our actions. This is why we should not only do our Bible readings daily, but study and pray and strive to understand&hellip; so that we will be the more motivated in practice. It is all too easy to be apparently zealous for good causes, as are many unbelievers, because of the needs of the moment, because we are in a situation where we would feel awkward not to enthusiastically respond&hellip; but the only true and lasting motivation for good works is an understanding, a purely personal understanding, of God&rsquo;s will for us. When the shepherds were told that Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, they &ldquo;quickly&rdquo; went there- for they believed what they had understood (Lk. 2:16). Paul &ldquo;immediately&rdquo; went to preach in Macedonia after seeing the vision suggesting he do this (Acts 16:10), just as he &ldquo;immediately&rdquo; began his initial preaching commission after receiving it (Gal. 1:16).</p><p>The word of the Lord was glorified in the Thessalonians- so Paul sincerely felt. But he goes on to speak of weakness amongst them. But he sees the cup half full rather than half empty, and never seeks to give the impression that he is addressing only some within the community he is enthusing about.</p>