Romans 15:30 - Meaning and Application

Here Paul asks the Romans to share in his prayers very earnestly (Romans 15:30-32). Though he was a great apostle, he still begged for the prayers of the humblest Christians. He had often prayed for them, and now he asks for that kindness in return. Exchanging prayers is a beautiful sign of shared love. Paul speaks like a man who knows his own weakness, and he teaches us to value the earnest prayer of godly people. We should be careful not to do anything that would lose us the love and prayers of praying believers.

He urges them strongly for two reasons. First, he asks them to pray “for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake.” Jesus Christ is his Master, and Paul is doing Christ’s work, so Christ’s honor is tied to the success of that work. If they care about Jesus and his kingdom, they should pray for him. Second, he asks “for the love of the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit creates love among believers, even among those who have never met. So this prayer would be a sign of that Spirit-given love. If they have ever known the Spirit’s love, and want to answer that love, they should not fail in this duty.

Paul also tells them how to pray. They must “strive together” in prayer. That means they should pray with full effort, faith, and fire in their hearts. They should wrestle with God, like Jacob did, and pray with real intensity, as Elijah did (James 5:17). They should stir themselves up to hold fast to God (Isaiah 64:7). This is true when we pray for others as well as when we pray for ourselves. Love for our brothers and sisters should make us just as earnest for them as our own need makes us for ourselves.

He also says they should “strive together with me.” He is not asking them to stop praying for themselves, since he himself is praying daily for his own needs and the needs of others. Rather, he wants them to join him in the same spiritual work. Paul and the Romans were far apart, and probably would remain so, yet they could still pray together. People who are separated by God’s providence can still meet at the throne of grace. Anyone who asks for the prayers of others must not neglect prayer for himself.

Paul then names the things he wants them to ask God for. It is wise in prayer to be specific, whether we are praying for ourselves or for others. When Christ holds out the golden scepter, he says, “What do you want me to do for you?” He knows our needs perfectly, yet he still wants us to bring them to him. Paul recommends himself to their prayers in three ways.

First, he asks them to pray for his safety: “That I may be delivered from those who do not believe in Judea.” The unbelieving Jews were his fiercest enemies, and he expected trouble from them on this journey. So he asks the Romans to pray that God would rescue him. We may, and should, pray against persecution. God answered this prayer in several striking deliverances recorded in Acts 21, Acts 22, Acts 23, and Acts 24.

Second, he asks them to pray about his gift for Jerusalem: “that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted by the saints.” Why would there be any doubt about that? Wouldn’t money be welcome to poor believers? Yet there was some real reason to ask. Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, and unbelieving Jews hated him for that. Some believers were also uneasy around him because of that calling, and that was their weakness. Paul does not say, “Let them accept it if they wish.” Instead, he asks, “Pray that it may be accepted.” We should ask God not only to restrain the bad will of enemies, but also to preserve and grow the good will of friends, because God holds both their hearts in his hand.

Third, he asks prayer for his journey to Rome: “That I may come to you with joy.” If his trip to Jerusalem went badly, then his planned visit to Rome would also be hard. If he did not prosper in one visit, he would have little joy in the next. He asks that he may come “by the will of God,” because all joy depends on God’s will. The comfort of every creature comes according to the Creator’s choice.

Paul ends with another prayer for them: “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen” (Romans 15:33). The Lord of hosts, the God of battle, is also the God of peace, the one who gives peace and loves peace. Paul uses this title because there were divisions among them, and he wants to encourage peace. If God is the God of peace, then we should be people of peace. The Old Testament blessing said, “Peace be with you.” Here Paul says, “The God of peace be with you.” If they have the fountain, they cannot lack the streams. He says “with you all,” meaning both the weak and the strong. By placing them all together in this blessing, he encourages them toward a closer union. Those who are joined together in God’s blessing should also be joined together in love.