Paul’s Prayer for the Colossians
Another one of Paul’s prayers.
A great model for us.
Colossians 1:9-14 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. 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.
Examine the Scriptures:
Colossians 1:9-14 NLT
9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you.
Paul modeled persistent prayer.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6 NLT
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Ephesians 6:18 NLT
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
1 Timothy 2:1 NLT
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.
- Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Pray for complete knowledge of God’s will.
Know what the Bible teaches.
Pray for spiritual wisdom.
Make application of the scriptures you know in your daily living.
Pray for spiritual understanding.
Understand the importance of applying scripture to our daily living.
Understand how scripture makes a difference in your life (and in the lives of other believers).
- We need to:
Know what the Bible teaches.
Be able to make application of the scriptures we know in our daily living.
Understand how scripture makes a difference in our lives (and in the lives of other believers).
We ask God to give you …
- Our understanding of scripture can only come through the working of God’s Spirit in us.
Paul prayed for their full perception and deepest understanding of God’s will for them.
James 1:5 NLT
5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
It starts with:
Proverbs 1:7 NLT
7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
Proverbs 9:10 NLT
10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.
10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit.
Wisdom and understanding of scripture lead to changed lives.
Hebrews 4:12 NLT
12 For the word of God is alive and powerful.
The purpose of knowing God’s will is practical—to live a life that honors Him.
Spiritual knowledge is not an end but a means to faithful living.
Understanding God’s will is vital for a life that pleases Him.
- Knowledge of God’s will, spiritual wisdom, and spiritual understanding enable Christians to live lives that honor and please the Lord and live lives that produce good fruit.
We have to want this knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.
1 Peter 2:2 NLT
2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,
Psalm 119:97 NLT
97 Oh, how I love your instructions!
I think about them all day long.
- Correct understanding is foundational to correct behavior.
All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
This is a lifelong process – Sanctification.
Romans 12:2 NLT
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
- Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his (God’s) glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.
Ephesians 1:18-20 NLT
18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light (truth-God’s Word) so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
God gives this power to help believers continue in the faith, resist temptation and deceitful teachers, and know the joy of the Lord.
- Endurance (perseverance in challenges) and patience (gracious dealing with people) are evidence of spiritual maturity and dependence on God.
May you be filled with joy,
Filled with joy.
Psalm 28:7 NLT
7 The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
Romans 15:13 NLT
13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
- God, the source of hope, can fill us completely with joy and peace when trust in him.
12 always thanking the Father.
- Thanksgiving is a natural response to God’s grace in rescuing believers from darkness and bringing them into His kingdom.
A reminder of the things God has done for us.
- Remember what God has done for you.
He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people,
Ephesians 1:11 NLT
11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
Titus 3:7 NLT
7 Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.
Hebrews 9:15 NLT
15 That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.
who live in the light.
Live in the truth of His Word.
- God has enabled us to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people.
13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,
We are no longer under Satan’s power
Paul’s ministry.
Acts 26:17-18 NLT
… Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles 18 to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’
- God rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.
14 who purchased our freedom
Redeemed.
Deliverance and freedom from the penalty of sin, paid for by the death of Christ.
- Christ paid the penalty for our sins.
Romans 6:23 NLT
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
and forgave our sins.
