Romans 1:10

Romans 1:10, in plain English

Paul has been constantly asking God to make it possible for him to finally visit them—and now he's hopeful it might actually happen.

Why it's here

Paul had wanted to go to Rome for a long time but kept getting prevented (he mentioned this elsewhere in his letters). He's been praying about it persistently. This shows real longing and patience—he's not demanding his way, he's asking God to open the door.

Who's speaking

Paul

Where it sits in the story

Paul understands that his movements are ultimately under God's direction, not his own. He's been surrendered to God's timing, and now he senses that timing might be shifting.

The scholarly reading

Paul explains that he persistently prays for God's will to grant him the opportunity to visit the Roman church.

Language and setting

The phrase 'by God's will' (en to thelemati tou theou) reflects Paul's understanding of divine providence; his travel plans are not autonomous human decisions but submitted to God's sovereign purposes. This stands in tension with his earlier statement that he has been 'prevented from visiting until now' (verse 13)—obstacles to his travel are reinterpreted as expressions of God's timing rather than mere circumstance. The construction 'asking that now at last' (deomenos ei pos) reveals underlying frustration and longing; Paul has wanted to visit Rome for some time. Chrysostom and other patristic interpreters noted how Paul's submission to divine will coexists with his genuine desire and agency—not a fatalistic acceptance but a theologically informed persistence.

Voice

Paul, expressing both his devotion and his deep desire to meet the Roman church in person.

Significance

This prayer reflects the biblical pattern of making requests known to God while trusting in divine wisdom—exemplified in the prayers of Abraham, David, and Jesus himself in Gethsemane. Paul's longing to visit Rome also anticipates the dramatic fulfillment of this desire through his eventual imprisonment and trial there, demonstrating how divine purposes often exceed human expectation.

8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed all over the world.

9God, whom I serve with my spirit in preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you

10in my prayers at all times, asking that now at last by God’s will I may succeed in coming to you.

11For I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,

12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

Read all of Romans 1 — Paul's masterpiece — the most systematic explanation of the Christian faith ever written. Dense, brilliant, and life-changing from first verse to last.