WHAT ARE WE PRAYING FOR?

How often do we pray and what are we praying for? Our prayer lives may not be what God would have them to be but His word is clear that prayer should be a regular part of our new life in Christ. Romans 12:12 calls us to be “devoted to prayer” while Colossians echoes the same admonition by saying “devote yourselves to prayer”. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 the Apostle Paul instructed the believers to “pray without ceasing”. So prayer is something to be devoted, dedicated, or loyal to and therefore should be considered vital in the life of the believer. Before going any further we should acknowledge that without a devotion to the One whose name we pray in, we will not be devoted to the practice of prayer. The believer who is walking in the Spirit will find this devotion to prayer as he or she seeks intimacy with the Savior.

We may hear of other people praying but in reality prayer is the unique privilege to those who have a personal relationship with God through faith in Christ. We can pray by ourselves or pray together with other believers. We have not been issued prayer cards that we must recite in order to be acknowledged and heard by our Lord. We have been given guidance in His word about prayer but there is an individual uniqueness for each person who has this privileged relationship with the Creator. Although we have not been given an inspired list of prayers to recite, God has seen fit to record some prayers in His word that we are able to look at and profit from. One such prayer is found in Colossians 1:9-12 which records one of the Apostle Paul’s prayers. Pastor Jerry has been teaching through this prayer during our bible study time on Wednesday nights and it has been an edifying time in the Word. I’m thankful God directed him to teach this lesson. I would like to share a few thoughts about the prayer as it relates to the crucial nature of our Christian life. In these four verses we find Paul praying the following for the believers in Colossae: (Again, found in Colossians 1:9-12).

“That you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding”
“That you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord”
“To please Him in all respects”
“Bearing fruit in every good work”
“Increasing in the knowledge of God”
“Strengthened will all power, according to His glorious might”
“For the attaining of all steadfastness and patience”
“Joyously giving thanks to the Father”

As you can see, each truth builds upon the previous while all of them rest upon the foundation of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4:7 says to “be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer”. This prayer of the Apostle Paul’s is a great example of a prayer marked by sound judgment and a sober spirit. Let’s look briefly at the soundness and serious mindedness of the contents of the prayer by considering the life of a believer who is not experiencing growth in these specific areas.

A believer who lacks true knowledge of God and spiritual wisdom will find it difficult to discern the will of God in his or her life and will struggle greatly with understanding Him.
A believer who is walking in a manner that is unworthy of the Lord. His worthiness is the highest of standards but I think the believer can even address his weaknesses in a manner that is worthy of Him. When our walk is unworthy of Him, He is worthy of our repentance.
A believer who’s walk is described as displeasing to the Lord. I don’t believe this is a matter of perfection verses imperfection but is the description of one whose walk that would best be described as displeasing to Him. Again, He is pleased when we come to the throne of Grace, seeking forgiveness for the displeasing things in our life and His help to change.
A believer who is not bearing fruit in good works is not able to walk in the good works that He has prepared for us to walk in. This believer misses out on the joy and blessing of seeing the good works of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 3:9 says we are “God’s fellow workers”. He is not dependent upon us but He longs to work in and through us as He accomplished His will.
A believer who is not growing in their knowledge of God is missing out on perhaps the greatest opportunity afforded the believer in Christ. They are neglecting the privilege of knowing the Holy One, (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) better. All of us could know Him better. “That I may know Him” was part of Paul’s prayer found in Philippians 3:10. In 1 John 5:20 we read “And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true”.
A believer who is leaning on and walking in their own strength is weak. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us but we are unable to do His will in our strength.
A believer who lacks steadfastness and patience will find they struggle with standing firm, holding on to truth and find themselves tossed to and fro. Unrest and anxiousness will occupy the place where God would have His peace and patience rule in their hearts.
A believer who is unable to give God the joyous thanks due Him will lack an appreciation for the many provisions and acts of grace and mercy that have their origin in Him.

So what are we praying for? It is the will of God that we pray and that the matters of prayer be considered seriously. It is part of the process of sanctification, of Christ being formed in us. It is one of God’s provisions for the believer to respond to the high calling of being an imitator of Him, as beloved children. So, with sound judgment and a sober spirit, with a devotion to you first Lord, help us to be devoted to your gift of prayer.

Greg Engebretson