A Prayer to Grow Into
Opening Prayer
Wondrous One, I greet this new day with anticipation. May I have eyes to see the wonder of what You are accomplishing in my life.
Read Colossians 1:1-14
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Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
Reflect on the wonderful truth that in Christ we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins (14). These gifts came because of the cross, where Christ not only canceled our debt but disarmed our enemy (2:14,15).
Think Further
It has been said that the prayers of the Bible are like the big clothes that parents buy for their children to grow into. Paul’s prayer for the Colossians is a big prayer. We can use it as a model as we pray for others as well as for ourselves.
Paul starts by thanking God for the Colossian believers themselves. Although he had never visited them, he had heard about their growth in the five most important Gospel qualities: their faith in Jesus Christ, their love for the saints, their sustained hope of heaven, their understanding of God’s grace and their acceptance of his truth (5,6). There are a handful of qualities to pray for today! And the growth which he sees in this small church in the Lycus valley reminds him of God’s work on a far larger canvas–the growth of the Gospel all around the world (6). It’s the same today, for we are part of the fastest-growing family on the planet.
He then prays for the believers in terms we too should adopt. First, prayer for the knowledge of God’s will (9)–the capacity to understand God’s good purposes for us and for the church. There couldn’t be a more important prayer request. Second, that they should live a life in line with those purposes and worthy of the family name (10). Next, for power to endure (11), experiencing God’s glorious strength to sustain their commitment to his work. And finally, for an attitude of thanksgiving for Jesus and all that he has done for us in rescue, deliverance and new life in God’s Kingdom (13). Here is an expansive prayer that by God’s grace we can grow into, for the well-being of our churches and personal lives.
Apply
Think of several family members or Christian friends. Which of Paul’s prayer requests for the Colossians can you turn into specific prayers for them? Pray these prayers for the next several days.
Closing prayer
Lord, I thank You for those who have prayed for me over the years. Equip me to be a faithful intercessor for others.
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