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the Father, thus testifying in a very remarkable and convincing way to His
Godhead as the Hearer of prayer. And this fact is still more noticeable in
the original, for St. Paul in this verse breaks one of the familiar rules
of grammar, whether of Greek or English. It is well known that whenever
there are two nouns to a verb the verb must be in the plural; and yet here
the Greek word "direct" is in the singular, notwithstanding the fact that
there are two subjects, the Father and Christ. The same feature is to be
found in 2 Thess. ii. 17. It is evident from this what St. Paul thought of
our Lord Jesus Christ, and it is in such simple, indirect testimonies that
we find the strongest and most convincing proofs that the early Church
believed in the Deity of our Lord.

Let us consider _what it is for which he prays_--"Direct our way." He asks
for guidance. There had been certain difficulties in the way of his
return to Thessalonica. He had been hindered, and now asks that God would
open the way for him to go back to his beloved friends. Nothing was
outside the Apostle's relationship to God, and nothing was too small about
which to pray to God. As it has been well said: "Nothing is so small that
we do not honour God by asking His guidance of it, or insult Him by taking
it out of His hands." The need of guidance is a very real one in every
Christian life, and the certainty of guidance is just as real. "The steps
of a good man are ordered by the Lord" (Ps. xxxvii. 23); and this is as
true now as ever. "I will guide thee with Mine eye" (Ps. xxxii. 8) is a
promise for all time, and we may confidently seek guidance in prayer
whenever it is needed. The answer to our prayer will come in a threefold
way. God guides us by His Spirit, reigning supreme within our hearts. He
also guides us by the counsels and principles of His Word. These two agree
in one, for the Holy Spirit never guides contrary to the Word. And then,
in the third place, He guides us by His Providence, so that when the
Word, the Spirit, and Providence in daily circumstances agree we may be
sure that the guidance has been given.

2. HIS PRAYER FOR OTHERS (vers. 12, 13).

Consider the _immediate request_ he makes--"The Lord make you to increase
and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men." He asks for
_love_ on their behalf, that God would grant them this greatest of all
gifts--"the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whosoever
liveth