Last Sunday After Pentecost: Praying Like Paul For Your Parish

In our epistle reading for today, Paul shares a prayer that he and his companions have been regularly praying for the Colossians. The apostle prays that the believers “be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom, and spiritual understanding”, and that they would “give thanks to God the Father” (1:9-12). The prayer ends with a celebratory announcement that God “hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins” (1:13-14).

The church in Colossae is facing some serious problems; false teachers have come among them like savage wolves. But interestingly, Paul does not pray for their circumstances to change. Instead, he prays for their spiritual maturity. Let us learn from this that God will at times allow us to endure suffering and discomfort, for it refines us and shapes our character to look more like Jesus. (See Isaiah 48:10; Luke 9:23-24; Acts 5:40-42; Romans 5:3-5; 2 Corinthians 4:8-11; 1 Peter 1:6-7)

Breaking it Down: Verse-by-Verse

v9: “Therefore we also, from the day that we heard it, cease not to pray for you, and to beg that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom, and spiritual understanding:”

Paul prays that the church would know God’s will; that is, that they would know what God wants them to do and how he wants them to live.

This is a mandate for all followers of Jesus. We all must learn to distinguish between good and evil (Hebrews 5:14) and to discern the good, acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).

Paul desires that this knowledge of God’s will would be accompanied by “spiritual wisdom and understanding.” The word spiritual is used here to speak of things that come from the Holy Spirit. For this reason, the NIV translates this phrase as “the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.” The wisdom of the Spirit helps us understand how to apply God’s will to our everyday lives.

May the Spirit of truth form us into a wise and understanding people, so that we may know the ways of our God and apply this knowledge to every aspect of our lives, as individuals and as a parish church.

v10a: “That you may walk worthy of God, in all things pleasing; being fruitful in every good work…”

We are to gain knowledge of God’s will and wisely understand how to apply it to our lives so that we live in a way that reflects the character of Jesus. This makes us worthy to be called his people and is very pleasing to our God.

We are not to be only hearers (and readers) of God’s word; we are called to be doers of the word too (James 1:22-25). Spiritual knowledge is useless without real-life application. “My little children, let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but indeed, and in truth.” (1 John 3:18).

v10b: “…and increasing in the knowledge of God;”

God desires that we continually grow in our knowledge of him. This knowledge is not only intellectual, but also relational and experiential. A spiritually healthy Christian is constantly seeking to know God on a deeper, more intimate level. They echo Moses’ request of God: “show me thy glory” (Exodus 33:18). Communion with God is the primary aim of the Christian life; everything else is dependent on it. Let us hear the words of our Master: “…this is eternal life: That they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3).

v11: “Strengthened with all might, according to the power of his glory, in all patience and longsuffering with joy;”

It takes true power to continue in the Christian life; power that we do not naturally have within ourselves. The narrow path is often one of suffering and unceasing anguish. It takes true power to patiently endure as we pick up our cross and follow after him (Luke 9:23), and even more to do so with joy.

But we have no reason to fear the size of the task, for we have a Strengthener who is infinitely powerful and full of glorious might; we have a Lord whose power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9); we have been adopted as children of the God who raises the dead.

v12-14: “Giving thanks to God the Father, who hath made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins”

As we conclude with these verses, let us pray this prayer…

~We thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for snatching us out of the darkness and bringing us into your marvelous light. We thank you for giving us the right to become children of the light and share in the inheritance of your holy ones. We praise you for offering us a new and better way of being human, through the rule of King Jesus. We love you with an undying love, for you sent your Son to redeem us and forgive us of our sins. You loved us while we hid in the darkness; may we now love you openly in the light.

May we be empowered through your Spirit, that we may grow in our knowledge, fruitfulness, and strength. May we live in a manner that pleases you. May we intimately know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Amen.