Not only is prayer first in priority, but before embarking on any Christian work, prayer is essential.

For some, the topic of prayer is not exciting. It may be seen as too mystical, or it may be considered too time consuming when work has to be done. But for those who are immersed in serving God, it’s a subject of much relevance.

For a minister, it’s his life blood. The more committed and involved you are, the more you’ll be exposed to attacks from the adversary and his emissaries, who do not want the gospel advanced, and from “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life.” (1 John 2: 16) Timothy felt these pressures as he ministered on Paul’s behalf in Ephesus, and Paul knew he needed to be bolstered for the work.

As a leader you plan with prayer, you prepare with prayer, you proceed with prayer, and you persist with prayer. All along you praise your Lord God with prayer. There is a lot more to be said about the first two verses of Paul’s first letter to Timothy, and will soon.

As Paul spent the first part of his letter reemphasizing Timothy’s calling, now he moves in Chapter 2 to reordering Timothy’s priorities. In the midst of everything, it’s very possible “his child in the faith” needed to huddle up with God for a spiritual pep talk.