Colossians 1:9-10: “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
In this passage, Paul was exposing a false belief, similar to Gnosticism, in the church in Colossians. His prayer for the believers was:
- They would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
- They would grow in the knowledge of God to receive direction.
- Their life would reflect the Lord by their integrity, to show evidence of their relationship with Him- bearing fruit.
You know how your computer or cell phone and App’s always have upgrades to download? It doesn’t stay the same for long. Same with our walk with the Lord. We need to reflect, examine, and search within us how we can become closer in our relationship with the Lord and “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him.”
I ask myself the question: How would I rate my time spent talking to the Lord during say an average eight to 10 hours of my day? I must admit I fall way too short in this area. I need to do a personal download upgrade in this area. As we spend time with a person, we get to know them better. It doesn’t happen instantly. The more time we spend with them our understanding of that person expands and grows. The same is true with our relationship with the Lord. True intimacy with God results from studying His Word, and talking to Him frequently and on a regular basis.
In studying the Psalms these past several months I have appreciated David’s prayers and hymns that are contained throughout this book of the Old Testament. What an example of his verbal communication skills to almighty God! We are given a pattern of how to pray to God during times of sadness, fear, grief, regret, blessings, feeling ashamed, forgiveness, meeting our needs, and gratitude for God’s constant loving faithfulness to His children one day at a time.
Do you happen to need someone to be praying for you right now?
As you read this devotional, know that I am already praying for you in the following ways:
- I am thankful for your faith and how God is perfecting you in Him.
- I am asking God to show you what He wants you to do.
- I have asked God to give you in-depth spiritual understanding.
- I have asked God to give you more knowledge of Himself.
- I have asked God to fill you with peace in knowing nothing is impossible with God.
- I have asked that God fill you with thankfulness and joy, despite being stretched with learning endurance.
- I have asked God that your life will bear fruit and be a testimony for Him in your integrity.
I had the pleasant surprise of receiving a call a week ago, from someone who told me when I had mistakenly included his name in an email of our Small Group’s prayer requests (same first name as a man in our group) three or more years ago, that it pointed him to the gospel and opened up the door to seek answers to his needs from above. Today his daughter, who back then when he called to let me know my mistake, and asked me actually to pray for his 16 yr. old daughter that had been just diagnosed with type one diabetes and was in serious physical danger, is now following in a growing walk with Jesus. He has seen such a change in her life that he wants for himself. He emphasized that my unintentional mistake was not a mistake. It was the beginning of their family turning to the Lord. They had not done this previously. That was a WOW God moment!
Sometimes we wonder how to pray for missionaries and friends and family. Paul had never met the Colossian believers, but that didn’t stop him from praying for them. All believers have the same basic needs. I have these needs too. You are not alone my friend.
Questions:
- How does looking at past blessings encourage and give you confidence in holding onto the faithfulness of God?
- What is your go-to verse when facing life’s trials or overflowing with gratitude?
- Who is your Eli or woman of faith you admire? Are you able to be that for someone else?
- How would you rate your current time spent in prayer this week?
“God does not answer vague prayers. The more specific your prayers are, the more glory God receives.” Mark Batterson.
Listen to Matthew West’s song “Broken Things.”