Romans 15:31 “Pray that … the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there…” (NIV)

Righteous actions do not guarantee righteous outcomes.  This seems contrary to what ought to be, but in reality, it is what we ought to expect.  All righteous acts take place in the context of relationships and relationships involve people.  Even when everybody involved in the relationship is a Christian, outcomes are still often unpredictable.  This is not because of rebelliousness; it is because even righteous people are still very human.  Being right with God and seeking to live right with others does not change the fact that each of us has our own histories, preconceptions and emotions.

Paul recognized this as he prepared for his mission of taking a love offering to Jerusalem.  He knew the offering was righteous and he even explained this in his letter to Rome.  The offering came from hearts filled with the Holy Spirit’s love.  The givers recognized that when God blesses us, He expects us to be a blessing to others.  They wanted the church at Jerusalem to know that the gentiles understood that the Jewish people had been a spiritual blessing to them.  The offering was a righteous act. What could go wrong?

Many of the Jewish Christians receiving the offering had suffered at Paul’s hands when he was persecuting the Christians; they would need to be forgiving.  The Jews had believed they were superior to the gentiles and now they were receiving a gift from them; they would need humility.  Jewish opposition had been spreading lies about gentile Christians; they would need to discern the truth.  In order for his presentation to go well, the Holy Spirit would need to be at work healing hurts, soothing pride and guiding thinking. So Paul asked for prayer. He knew that prayer releases the power of the Holy Spirit to work in the minds and hearts of people.  For our actions to build righteous relationships, praying right is as important as doing right.