Colossians 1:9-12 NLT
[9] “So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL and to give you SPIRITUAL WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING. [10] Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. [11] We also pray that you will be STRENGTHENED WITH ALL HIS GLORIOUS POWER so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be FILLED WITH JOY, [12] ALWAYS THANKING THE FATHER. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.”
In view of the Colossians’ good report, Paul characteristically pens a prayer for his readers. Although it seems a long, involved request, his prayer is short and simple and expresses his desire for these Colossian believers to experience everything it takes to be a flourishing Christian in a hostile environment.
His five requests are interspersed with the “so that’s” which are the outcome of what God provides in answer to his prayer. Paul’s written prayers are littered with expectations of what his prayers for them will produce.
Let’s examine his prayer in more detail.
- Complete knowledge of God’s will.
Knowledge of God’s will is top priority because it is God’s will that should always be paramount in our lives. Since God’s will is expressed in His commands, it shouldn’t be difficult to know what God requires of us.
1 John 3:23 NLT
[23] “And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.”
Everything God wants us to do, be, and become are found in these two simple instructions.
- Spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Knowledge itself is helpless without understanding. Knowledge and spiritual wisdom and understanding put us on the road to knowing God better. Knowing God as in intimate knowledge of His character and ways are the essence of eternal life.
John 17:3 NLT
[3] “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”
Again, the more we get to know God and understand His ways, the more we will grow in wisdom because wisdom is the application of the knowledge we gain as we learn His ways.
How important this process is in our walk of faith. The Holy Spirit has many functions as our Helper, one of which is to be the Interpreter, making sense of our daily experiences as we traverse life.
- Strengthened with all His glorious power.
As much as we need the knowledge of God’s will and the wisdom and understanding to apply it to our daily lives, we need the power to carry out what we learn to do.
This is beyond us as mere mortals. Without God’s enabling, we can no more do God’s will than any unbeliever. Through grace, God’s power works in us to do w hat pleases H.
Philippians 2:12-13 NLT
[12] “Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. [13] For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.”
This life of faith and obedience is a partnership between God and us. Both partners are essential to pull it off. The spinoff of this partnership is the patience and endurance we need to go the course. There is no reward for those who quit before the end.
- Filled with joy.
This race we are called to run is no white-knuckle, nail-biting, worthess endurance exercise just to test our mettle. The prize for those who finish is literally “out of this world”! We don’t run with gritted teeth but with hearts overflowing with joy…there’s a goal so priceless that, to miss it is unthinkable, an unimaginable inheritamce for those who win.
- Always thanking the Father.
What better to keep us on track than the goodness of the Father? He has made this all possible; He has done everything for us and in us; He waits at the finish line to reward us for everything He has accomplished. In the end, all the glory belongs to Him.
What a prayer, reaching the heights of God’s desire for His people. Why not pray Paul’s prayer for fellow believers!