Romans 15:30, commentary and pictures

As Paul was about to go to Judea to bear the gospel of Christ to those who opposed Jesus as Saviour of the world, he besought the Gentile Christians to strive together with him in their prayers to God for him. That striving together is earnest, united wrestling with God in prayer for His appointed gospel workers, made for Christ's sake and through love for the gospel and love of the Spirit. Such prayer asks the Lord to protect and bless and deliver His workers from unbelievers and from those who do not believe, so that the way will be opened for the reception of the gospel. Its goal is that the worker may come with joy by the will of God and be refreshed together with believers, with the God of peace with all.

The verse turns believers away from talking about one another's faults and tearing down, toward supporting God's workers through prayer, with speech sanctified to God and cleansed from faultfinding. Instead of entering conversation that tears down, speech is to encourage, refusing to listen to criticism of one of God's children. That sanctified life means guarding the door of the lips and speaking no unadvised, provoking, contentious, or retaliating word. It means turning a deaf ear to the faultfinder, answering harshness and irritation with silence, and speaking kindly and tenderly and encouragingly. It also means quarreling with self and being converted, confessing personal sins and humbling the heart before God for forgiveness, and keeping the eye fixed on Jesus who warns of perils in order to deliver.

Those who have thus wrestled with the Lord in prayer are then to go forward to act on their prayers in God's work.