Colossians 1
Yesterday in Philippians 4 we were reminded of the privilege of running to God in prayer. Today God’s Word gives us something to pray. I love the prayers of Paul in his letters to the churches. Why? Because they give me words to speak to God when I don’t know what to say, and they are God’s Word, which means He wants us to pray it and He will answer. So here is a prayer and reflection we can use:
‘For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, 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, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.’ (Colossians 1:9-14)
Here is the wonderful reality of this prayer: God wants to fill us so that we can live for Him and to His glory, so that we will endure and inherit His Kingdom. What an amazing prayer! In it we have the will of God for us both now and forever and because it’s His Word, it has the power to achieve what is being asked. God not only wants this for us, He WILL answer this prayer. He wants us to inherit His kingdom, He wants us to be strengthened, to bear fruit and know His will. How can we be sure of all this? He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of His Son, through whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. How much more so will we then endure and be ushered into eternal life. He is faithful to do so. And so we pray again:
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, 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, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.’ (Colossians 1:9-14)