How often do you pray for others? I guess 90% of my prayer time is spent praying for other people, but do we follow a biblical pattern when praying for others. I hear people pray for God to be with someone through a situation, and every time I want to say if they are saved he already is with them. He dwells within His people. No need to ask God to do something He’s already doing. I think I understand what they mean, but the actual words would be better said to ask God to prick their heart and remind them He is there with them. So, what are some things we should ask for other Christians? Paul, in Colossians 1:9-11, gives us a good pattern.
Paul starts out by saying “for this cause.” We need to look back to see why He was urged to pray for them. In verse 7, his friend and “fellow servant” Epaphras, a minister to them, had told Paul of their faith. He had commended them on their love for the brethren and their fruitfulness. Now, because Paul is blessed by their testimony, and he knows they will face obstacles as they press forward in their faith. He prays they will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, wisdom, and spiritual understanding.
To know God’s will should be the goal of every Christian. We need to be filled with wisdom so that we can understand how to implement His will, and how He is working. We need spiritual understanding so we can discern those things taught by the Holy Spirit. A work he begins at our salvation.
Paul has another lesson we should learn from this passage. He said he would not cease to pray for them. How often do we pray for someone, and then soon forget to pray for them? Sometimes it’s because God answered the prayer, and sometimes we get weary asking, so we stop. Either way, Paul is not stopping. I believe when God answered a prayer it just energized Paul that much more to pray. We somehow have the attitude if there are not great pressing needs we don’t need to pray for people. However, this should encourage us to pray more, we should be praying and praising God there are no pressing needs!
Colossians 1:9 “For this cause, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;”
In verse 10, he prays they will walk worthy of the title they hold, they are Christians, Christ-like, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ! How are they to walk worthy? They are to be pleasing to the Lord in all they do. Is this a hard task? Yes, but not impossible. Enoch pleased God, and he pleased Him so much he didn’t suffer death.
Hebrews 11:5 “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”
Paul prayed they would be fruitful in their good works. To do this they must obey God. His next request was for them to increase in knowledge of God. All these requests are things we should be praying for others and for ourselves. If we want these things in our lives, we must take action. God will not give us knowledge of himself or allow us to be fruitful by osmosis. Asking God to give you knowledge of himself and then not reading and studying his word is just plain stupid! We must have the desire to please Him, and then put it into action.
Colossians 1:10 “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;”
His next request is for them to be strengthened so they can obey and fulfill their duty. So, they would be able to press forward under trials and temptations. Not by their own means, but according to God’s power. The Spirit will manifest, or make known, his power that will enable us to bear up under tremendous trials in life. It will be obvious to us and others, that it is not of ourselves. I think of the many persecuted Christians who have given a witness to this effect. One was Richard Wurmbrand. He was imprisoned in Romania for 14 years for His faith in Christ. He was put in solitary confinement, beaten, mentally abused, made to suffer extreme hunger and cold. Yet, he never stopped praying and telling others about Christ. He was released in 1965 when a ransom of $10,000 was paid for him, but he was warned never to speak against the communist. He did not remain silent once he reached the United States, but he also never stopped praying and loving the communist. That is the strength only the Holy Spirit can provide.
Paul’s next request was for them to have patience. With patience, we can bear up without complaining. How often do we have situations that seem too much for us to handle, and instead of praying, we complain? In some situations, we may pray, but when answers don’t come quickly, we grumble and complain to all who will listen. Instead of seeking God, we seek pity and attention from others. We are to pray and be patient for God to work on our behalf.
Colossians 1:11 “Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;”
His last request was that they be joyful. We are to be joyful no matter what the situation because our joy is not based on the circumstances it is based on the one who dwells within.
Paul gives us a pattern of how we are to pray for others, but before we can be an effective prayer warriors for others, we need to make sure these attributes are within our own lives. Are we patient, long-suffering, joyful, strengthened with God’s might according to His power? Are we seeking like Enoch to please God in all we do? Are we studying to be filled with the knowledge of God, so that we will have His wisdom and spiritual understanding? If we can answer all these questions in the positive we will be fruitful for Christ. If we are not doing these then why not? There is no time like the present, so, get busy.
