If You Only Had One Prayer Request, What Would it Be?
A Guide from 2nd Thessalonians
As a pastor, I receive a great number of prayer requests each week. Over time, I’ve noticed a pattern—most of our requests tend to center around just a few key areas. The top request is always for health concerns. We pray for those battling cancer. We pray for relief from chronic pain. We pray for successful surgeries. These are all good and important prayers. In fact, Scripture encourages us to bring these needs before God. James 5:14 says:
"Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."
When we ask for prayer, we are saying two things at once: This matters to me, and I believe it matters to God. Please intercede on my behalf. Yet, when the apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he had one primary prayer request:
"Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you." (2 Thessalonians 3:1)
If we were limited to just one request, what should it be? What is God’s top priority for us?
The Westminster Catechism answers this beautifully:
"What is the chief end of man?"
"To glorify God and enjoy Him forever."
When we view our prayers through this lens, it helps us focus our requests on what truly matters. God designed us to glorify Him, and Jesus gave us a model for how to pray in the Lord’s Prayer:
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." (Matthew 6:9-13)
The Priority of Prayer
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus begins with a request that sets the tone for all others:
"Hallowed be Your name."
Before asking for anything else, Jesus teaches us to pray for God's glory to be recognized and honored. This is not just a request—it is a reorientation of our hearts. True prayer begins with aligning ourselves to God’s purpose rather than merely bringing Him our concerns.
Even when Jesus teaches us to pray for "daily bread," the focus remains on dependence rather than abundance. He does not tell us to pray for wealth, security, or a worry-free life, but for the provision that keeps us reliant on God each day. This kind of prayer reshapes our desires, shifting our focus from comfort to trust, from ease to endurance in faith.
Paul echoes this priority in 2 Thessalonians 3:1 when he asks the church to pray, "that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you." His one request was not for personal comfort, safety, or success, but that God's word would advance and be glorified. Like Jesus, Paul shows us that prayer is about God's kingdom and His renown.
So often, we pray for peace and relief from hardship, but Scripture teaches us to pray for greater faith and endurance. If our greatest purpose is to glorify God, then our greatest prayer should be that we live in a way that honors Him—regardless of our circumstances.
The next time we bring our requests before the Lord, we should ask ourselves: Does this prayer align with God's ultimate purpose? If we had only one request, may it be that His name is glorified in our lives, just as Paul longed for the gospel to be honored among the nations.