Read Colossians 4:3-4
Paul the Apostle was a man of prayer. But contrary to popular belief, Paul was not a pioneer or inventor in this respect. He simply copied his Lord and master Jesus who was also a man of prayer. Jesus often disappeared for the entire night to commune with the Father. Before any major event Jesus would commune with the Father.
Where do we stand with prayer? Are you are man or woman of prayer? Is prayer of the utmost importance to you? Or is it something you do when you get around to it? We could begin to find the answer by contemplating the time and energy we put into prayer. If we spend the last minutes of our day in exhausted prayer then it’s probably not a priority. If we fall asleep during prayer then it’s probably not a priority. If we put it on the bottom of list and get to it after everything else, it’s probably not a priority. We tend to pour our time and energy into our highest priorities.
Paul the Apostle was a man of prayer. Even more so, his prayers are often not for himself but for the Gospel. Here in Colossians 4 Paul prays for doors to be opened so that he and his team might proclaim the mystery of Christ for which he is willingly suffering in chains. Paul doesn’t pray for freedom from jail or for comfort, or even for justice (he was imprisoned unjustly) but for the Gospel to be proclaimed. Any of these prayers may have been legitimate but Paul prays for gospel opportunities. Paul mentions himself in his prayers only in the context of asking for gospel opportunities.
What a great challenge for each of us to refocus our prayers. Often our prayers tend to be focussed around us and our needs – our finances, our comfort, our healing, our likes and dislikes and so on. Often our prayers are simply a list for God to work through so that our will can be done. Doesn’t the Lord’s Prayer say ‘thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ and not ‘my will be done …’? Is it any wonder the Gospel seems impotent in our generation if that’s how we pray?
Reading Paul’s prayers challenges us to pray about the Gospel. Pray for open doors for gospel sharing like Paul did. Enlist others to pray as Paul did. Instead of praying for an improvement in your finances, pray for opportunities to be generous and Christlike in your poverty. Pray that God would allow you to share Jesus with your family. If you are being harassed at work, pray that Christ would shine brightly though you rather than for a cessation of harassment. If you are too busy, pray that the peace of Christ you have would lead others to Christ.
I challenge each of us to pray only gospel focused prayers for the rest of this week. Why not keep a journal and see how powerfully God works. Jot down what God does and share with other believers to encourage them as well.
Prayer:
Based on today’s reading spend time in...
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
à As Christmas Day approaches pray that God would open doors for you personally to share the message of Christ coming into the world to save people from their sins.
à Pray this for others in your congregation.
à Ask the Lord to fill your church this Christmas Day with many non-churchgoers and ask the Lord to so fill the preacher that the Gospel is powerfully and lovingly proclaimed. Ask the Lord to bring many conversions through this year’s Christmas Day service.
A life of prayer causes one’s life to overflow with joy and inevitably opens up doors for sharing the good news.
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