2 Maccabees 1:1-6: a reflection

1The kindred, the Jews who are in Jerusalem and those who are in the country of Judea, send greetings and good peace to the kindred, the Jews who are throughout Egypt. 2May God do good to you, and remember his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, his faithful servants, 3and give you all a heart to worship him and do his will with a strong heart and a willing soul. 4May God open your heart to his law and his statutes, and make peace, 5and listen to your requests, and be reconciled with you, and not forsake you in an evil time. 6Now we are praying for you here.

This letter from the Jews of Jerusalem to their kindred in Egypt opens with a prayer, and it is worth pausing over what they ask for one another. May God do good to you, they write, and remember his covenant; may he give you all a heart to worship him and to do his will with a strong heart and a willing soul; may he open your heart to his law, and make peace, and hear your prayers, and not forsake you in a time of trouble. It is an intercession full of spiritual longing for others' good.

Notice what they pray. Not merely for their kindred's comfort or prosperity, but for their spiritual flourishing: a heart to worship God, a willing soul to do his will, an opened heart to his word, peace, and God's nearness in trouble. Their deepest desire for one another was that they would love and obey God with willing hearts, and know his presence. They prayed for one another's souls.

That is a model for how we pray for those we love. We often pray, rightly, for their health, safety, and provision. But this letter reaches deeper, praying for their spiritual good: that God would give them willing hearts to worship and obey him, open their hearts to his word, and not forsake them in trouble. When you pray for those you love, do not stop at their outward needs. Pray, as these did, for their souls, that God would give them a heart to worship and do his will, open their hearts to him, and never forsake them. Intercede for the deepest good of those you love: their nearness to God.

Lord, these believers prayed for their kindred not merely for comfort but for their souls: a heart to worship you, a willing soul to do your will, an opened heart to your word, and your nearness in trouble. Teach me to pray that way for those I love. Beyond their outward needs, help me intercede for their deepest good: that you would give them willing hearts to worship and obey you, open their hearts to your word, and never forsake them. Draw those I love near to you, and make me faithful to pray for their souls.