for
those who follow Jesus, the provision of empowering grace through prayer is
clear from the repeated emphasis on this biblical theme. Believers are to pray
constantly about everything (1 Thess 5:17). Scripture tells a general theme
that God will work in the individual who commits himself to God’s care (e.g.
Prov 3:5; Ps 21:2; 37:4; Rom 8:28-29; 2 Cor 10:5; Phil 2:12-13). The pattern
for prayer that Jesus gave his disciples includes a petition about temptation
and the devil’s deceptions (Matt 6:13). Peter gives his readers motivation to
pray in the midst of temptations by assuring them that God can rescue them
especially from temptation (2 Pet 2:9). Hebrews 4:15-16 exhorts the readers to
see God’s help in prayer specifically in relation to temptation, and the
certain ground for assurance is Jesus’ own empathy and success in his own
experience of temptation. (John E. McKinley, Tempted for Us: Theological
Models and the Practical Relevance of Christ’s Impeccability and Temptation [Paternoster
Theological Monographs; Eugene, Oreg.: Wipf and Stock, 2009], 307)
Apart from the efficacy of prayer, I also bring this up as 1 Thess 5:21, part of the same pericope as v. 17 referenced above, is touted by some as biblical evidence for Sola Scriptura. For more against this doctrine, see:
Not By Scripture Alone: A Latter-day Saint Refutation of Sola Scriptura
