2 Thessalonians 3:16–18 (NIV84)
Final Greetings
16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
17 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write.
18 The
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Paul concludes his Letter with a prayer for peace and, in his own hand, a blessing of grace. We should imitate Paul in his blessing.
We should pray for peace for others, even for our enemies. We should bless, and not curse, even those we do not like, even those who do us harm (Rm 12:19; 1Pt 3:9). Our prayer for God’s peace and grace in our lives is no mere wish. We do have peace with
God and with one another through the blood of Christ; by the grace of our Lord, this is a peace that passes all understanding and remains steadfast regardless of external assaults by the devil (cf Eph 2:11–21; Col 1:19–20; Jn 14:27).
I pray: “O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may
be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.
Edward A. Engelbrecht, The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 2065.