prayer with purpose

Prayer is a true privilege of the children of God.  We have access to the throne of grace because of Jesus our Lord. (see Heb.4:16) We can pray for many things; decisions, health, people, needs, understanding and wisdom, and in different ways; praise, thanksgiving, petition, supplication, and intercession. In Paul’s letters to the various churches he often prayed for the believers in those churches. The prayers he offered are prayers we can model our own praying for the church after. He always prayed for encouragement and growth in the believers.  Reflect on Paul’s prayer for the believers in Colossae, in Colossians 1:9:

“For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you.  We are asking that you may be filled with all wisdom and spiritual understanding,”

Paul had learned of the believer’s “love in the Spirit” from fellow servant Epaphras which caused him and Timothy to pray for the Colossian church.  What an intercession for the believers! He prayed that they would be filled in their minds and hearts with the knowledge of God’s will, and all wisdom, that is God’s wisdom, and understanding, which would be given by the Holy Spirit.  Yet, Paul’s request was not for the saturation of their minds and hearts with “spirituality” so that they could bask in their knowledge and pat themselves on their backs as well-informed believers.  Read Paul’s continued prayer in V10-12:

“so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him: bearing fruit

in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened

with all power, according to His glorious might, so that you may have great

endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled

you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.”

The prayer continued with purpose for their filling, so they could walk worthy of the Lord.  We can stop right here and take a follower of Jesus self-exam; do I walk worthy of the Lord?  Remember He suffered and died for you and He gave His life so that you could have everlasting life.  Good check point!  The prayer continues with the purpose; strengthened in spiritual power to be an overcomer of temptation and sin; with the entirety of your daily living pleasing the Father; your life producing fruit of the Spirit and fruits of the Gospel for His glory in all our good – God honoring works; growing spiritually and experientially in the knowledge of our Triune God; being spiritually strengthened in His power according to His glorious might, not man’s idea of strength or might. Paul desired for the believers to have a genuine experiential walk based on knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of our God, the Lord Jesus Christ.  This is the “worthy of Lord” standard of living, nothing less.  The purpose of living worthy of the Lord is so that believers can have endurance and patience, filled with joyful thanksgiving to God the Father because in His great love, mercy, and grace through Jesus His Son, made it possible to have a relationship with Him and take part in the blessed promise of eternal life with Him.  Paul prayed for the believers to make it to the finish line filled with Jesus in every part of their life.  Pray for one another with purpose!


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