Paul regularly prays what I've called a "full-bodied" prayer for the Colossian Christians. The basic outline of the prayer is: two requests, followed by four characteristics that will develop if those requests are met, ending with a final statement about God and the redemption he accomplished in Jesus that should encourage to see that God can and will answer prayers like this.
The prayer begins first with a request that these Christians would know God's will. How will this happen? Through God growing them in wisdom and understanding. Of course, the way in which God does this is through his Word. Thus, regular reading and meditation upon the word of God is the means by which we can expect God to impart the knowledge of his will to us.
Following from this is a request that their knowledge of God's will will lead to them living out God's will. Or, as Paul puts it, that they would live a life worthy of Jesus, fully pleasing to him (Colossians 1:10). Such a life will have the following characteristics (Colossians 1:10-12):
1. Do lots of good and 2. Know God more and more
Note that these are tied together. As we do good, we will know God more. And knowing God more must lead to doing more good.
3. Be empowered by God
God empowers the life that is worthy of Jesus with ALL his power, so that the Christian can have endurance and patience in facing every type of situation.
4. Be joyfully thankful
A life worthy of Jesus is always joyfully thankful to God the Father. And what sparks this joy and thankfulness is the fact that God has accomplished everything that's needed so that people from all over can share together in an eternal inheritance.
The prayer ends in v.13-14 with the final reminder and encouragement that God has rescued believers out of their dominion of darkness and transferred them to the kingdom of Jesus, in whom we are forgiven and thus set free from the power of sin and evil.
I love meditating on prayers like this because I find them to be a great guide to me in how I should pray and what I should pray for. What parts of this "full-bodied" prayer especially stick out to you? How are you trying to develop the things mentioned in this prayer in your own life (even as you pray that God would help you develop them)?
2 comments:
I have prayed this prayer, along with Paul's prayers in Ephesians Ch. 1 and 3 many times over the past 20 or so years for my 2 girls and for myself. Since you have lived with one of them for the past year +, what do you think? Did it work? :)
Seriously, I think these prayers are so intense and so effective. When I am praying this way for myself, I know I am really abiding in Him. They represent His intense desire for what He wants to do in me.
It definitely worked! :) Praise God that you've been so faithful to pray the prayers of his Word to him.
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