In my devotional time this morning, I read through Colossians 1:1-14. As I read and meditated on God’s Word, Paul’s prayer for the Colossians struck me. It made me ask myself,
“Do I pray for my congregation, friends, and family in the way Paul prayed for the Colossians?”
If I am honest, I have to answer sometimes but not all the time. It is not because I don’t pray, but because I don’t always know what to pray. If you are like me, you probably don’t always know what to pray for others either.
Paul’s Prayer for the Colossians
In Paul’s prayer for the Colossians, he models for us how we should pray for others. Let’s look at the content of his prayer. He prays the Colossians would be:
- Filled with the knowledge of God’s will, which they gain from spiritual wisdom and understanding.
- Walk in a manner worthy of God so as to fully please Him.
- Bear fruit in every good work.
- Increase in the knowledge of God.
- Be strengthened with power for endurance and patience.
- That they would endure and be patient with an attitude of joy.
- Give thanks to the Father for saving them through the sacrifice of His Son.
Pastor, congregant, friends, and family members, these are the things we should be praying for one another. Health concerns are important, and we should lift those up to the Lord, but we should also pray for others to grow spiritually, bear fruit, endure and be patient, and increase in their knowledge of God.
Challenge
Next time you sit down to pray, take this list with you, and pray the content of it for those you know.
Questions for Reflection
- How often do you pray for one another?
- What do your prayers consist of? Are they mainly health related? Or do you pray for spiritual growth in others as well?
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