Join me in my struggle by praying to God for me
Romans 15:30-32 - Just as the prayers of the Romans helped Paul on his long and dangerous journey to visit them, your prayers are heard by God and He acts on your behalf.
“I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed.”
Romans 15:30-32 NIV
Paul’s Epistle to the Romans is the longest of his thirteen letters, written while he was living in Corinth and addressed to the small Christian community in Rome. Martin Luther said of this chapter:
In chapter 15, St. Paul cites Christ as an example to show that we must also have patience with the weak, even those who fail by sinning publicly or by their disgusting morals. We must not cast them aside but must bear with them until they become better. That is the way Christ treated us and still treats us every day; he puts up with our vices, our wicked morals and all our imperfection, and he helps us ceaselessly. Finally Paul prays for the Christians at Rome; he praises them and commends them to God. He points out his own office and the message that he preaches. He makes an unobtrusive plea for a contribution for the poor in Jerusalem. Unalloyed love is the basis of all he says and does.1
In verse 30, Paul makes an impassioned plea for intercessory prayer. The NIV translation asks the Romans to “join me in my struggle by praying to God for me”. The Koine Greek word used in the original letter is συναγωνίζομαι (synagōnizomai), which literally means “agonize together”. He wants the Romans to be ministry partners through their prayers, something that is still important 2,000 years later!
American pastor Chuck Smith made a similar plea in 1981 in an article titled “The Gospel According to Grace”:
“Ministers need the prayers of their flocks. With Paul I urge you to strive in your prayers for your pastors. We need your prayers and we thank God for them. Pastors are sustained by the power of the Spirit through the support of their congregations.”2
Charles Spurgeon pointed out that it’s not unusual for even an apostle to ask for prayers:
“Does it astonish you that a man so rich in grace as Paul should be asking prayers of these unknown saints? It need not astonish you; for it is the rule with the truly great to think most highly of others. In proportion as a man grows in grace he feels his dependence upon God, and, in a certain sense, his dependence upon God’s people.”3
His prayer request continues in verse 31, where Paul asks “that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there”. Paul was painfully aware that his danger in Jerusalem would come from those who did not accept the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, having been one of the Sanhedrin and knowing their disbelief firsthand. Paul would be proven correct in his concern, when he was manhandled and arrested in Jerusalem (Acts 21:27-28), and there were calls for his death (Acts 22:22).
Earlier in Romans 15, Paul has asked for contributions for the poor in Jerusalem, and here he requests prayer that “the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there”. He knows that many of those in the early Christian church in Jerusalem were very conservative, often thinking of Paul as a dangerous influence. He’s asking for prayer that both his visit and the money for the poor are seen in a favorable light rather than as a threat to the local church leadership.
Paul ends the chapter on a hopeful note: he’s filled with hope that through the prayer of the Romans, he may eventually make his way to Rome “with joy” and “in your company be refreshed”.
The main lesson of these verses? As the body of Christ, we are called upon to pray for those in ministry, whether they’re the pastors of a megachurch, a missionary bringing the Gospel to a hostile audience, or even just a couple of retired engineers writing a daily devotional. Your prayers do make a difference! Just as the prayers of the Romans helped Paul on his long and dangerous journey to visit them, your prayers are heard by God and He acts on your behalf.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Heavenly Father, through the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, I come before You in prayer. Strengthen me, Lord, to strive alongside my brothers and sisters in faith, lifting one another up in prayer and encouragement. Grant me endurance in trials, joy in service, and a heart aligned with Your will. May I walk in obedience and find refreshment in the fellowship of believers, bringing glory to Your name. AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.
BibleHub was accessed on March 20, 2025 for commentary on Romans 15:30-32.
Commentary quotations from Enduring Word are used with the written permission of the author.
Luther, M., Preface to the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans, translated by Andrew Thornton, OSB, 1983, accessed on March 20, 2025
Smith, Chuck "The Gospel According to Grace" (Costa Mesa, California: The Word for Today, 1981)
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon "The New Park Street Pulpit" Volumes 1-6 and "The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit" Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990)
Amen, my wife had a public ministry. The spiritual attacks on her were relentless and often difficult to withstand. They were much worse than mine. I was only called to support her. The prayers are surely needed.