“Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner” (Hebrews 13:18-19).
A few, tiny clues about the human penman of Hebrews can be found in its final eight verse. The first of these is that the first century readers definitely knew the identity of the one(s) who requested them to “pray for us”.
Few privileges and responsibilities of Christian brotherhood are greater than that of praying for each other.
It appears that the author(s) may have been facing governmental mistreatment. Timothy had recently been released from confinement (v. 23), and the author(s) may have been dealing with a civil arrest in which nothing immoral or sinful had occurred; therefore, the author(s) had a clear conscience but not the freedom to move freely. The apostle Peter discusses such a situation in 1 Peter 4:12-17.
Because the word apokathistemi is used by the gospel writers to describe the physical health “restored” to a man who had a withered hand (Mark 3:5) and also a blind man (Mark 8:25), it is possible that the author(s) faced physical sickness or ailment. In this scenario, the writer(s) lived in great confidence that the readers’ effective fervent prayers would avail much (James 5:16).
Passionate, persistent prayer is ever appropriate for God’s people. The present imperative “to pray” in verse 18 coupled with the comparative adjective perissoteros (“more abundantly, more earnestly, more vehemently”) in verse 19 blaze a bold encouragement to pray passionately and persistently.
The bottom line from this passage is: Be a prayer warrior for your brethren, especially for those suffering unjustly and for those facing significant health challenges.
