As in 1 Thessalonians 5:25, Paul closes the letter by asking for prayer for himself and his colleagues (having just prayed for the Thessalonians, 2:16f.). The two passages show a similar structure, with the same verb, the same vocative brothers, and the same prepositional phrase for us (peri hēmōn). In this case, however, unlike 1 Thessalonians 5:25, their particular needs are stated. But the focus of the passage soon shifts from the human weakness expressed in Paul’s “standing in the need of prayer” to divine strength, and from their own needs to the needs of others. Surely, this marks true followers of Christ; like their Lord, they are so sure of God and so free from preoccupation with their own wants, that their energies flow naturally towards others and their needs—especially God’s peo…