Paul’s Prayer vs. 3-14

Power In Prayer

Paul begins his letter with a prayer for the believers at Colosse. We are going to look closely at Paul’s prayer. I am always struck by the difference in the way Paul prayed, and the things he prayed for compared to the way I usually pray.

A prayer of thanks Colossians 1:3-8

3  We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4  Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, 5  For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; 6  Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: 7  As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; 8  Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

He thanked God for their faith in Christ. For their love to the saints. For the hope they have of heaven.

The Christian Triad: Faith, Love and Hope.

He was thankful for the gospel that had come to them, bringing fruit since the day they heard it and knew the grace of truth.

A prayer of petition - Colossians 1:9-11

9  For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10  That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11  Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

Paul petitions God for four things on behalf of the Colossian church.

That they the church would be filled with the knowledge of his will.

In that knowledge of His will, they would have all wisdom understanding

Wisdom is the Greek word “Sophia” knowledge of first principles

Understanding is the Greek word “sunesis” the ability to apply first principles

Paul is asking God that the church can, “know the great truths of Christianity and be able to apply them to the tasks and decisions which they meet in everyday life.” -Barclay

That they would walk worthy of the Lord

Right conduct, right living which flows from knowing God's will and having the wisdom and understanding to apply it in everything they would do. It is the action that flows from that knowledge and that would be pleasing to God.

They would be strengthened with all might according to his glorious power.

Paul used two Greek words for might and power. For might he used the world, dunamis which means "internal, inherent power"; and kratos which means "external, visible power," power that is seen in action.

Isn’t that an awesome prayer request? That they might be made strong with all might and that all that might would come from God’s glorious power.

A Prayer of Purpose. 

Paul’s prayer had an objective in mind as he prayed to God and asked for these things. We see it at the end of vs. 11  

That they would come to all patience, longsuffering with joyfulness.

Patience has the idea of fortitude. The ability to bear hardship and tribulation. It is the ability to deal with anything this often painful and sorrowful life throws at us.

The word longsuffering is a different kind of patience. The first patience has to do primarily with circumstances of life, while longsuffering primarily has to do with people in my life. It is being patience with difficult and often offensive.

William Barkly said in his commentary, “It is the quality of mind and heart which enables a man so to bear with people that their unpleasantness and maliciousness and cruelty will never drive him to bitterness, that their unteachableness will never drive him to despair, that their folly will never drive him to irritation, and that their unloveliness will never alter his love. It is the spirit which never lose patience with, belief in, and the hope for men. -Barclay

Nor was it enough, for Paul to just pray for patience and longsuffering, for the Colossians but they were to have those qualities tempered by joyfulness. In Paul’s manner of Christian life that he is praying for others to live, it was not enough to just be patient during the hard times of life, or longsuffering with the hard people in our life. No that wasn’t enough. The real purpose of Paul’s petition was that though it all, they would show and know joyfulness.

A Prayer of Praise - Colossians 1:12-14

12  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Listen to what that phrase is saying. Paul is giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified His children to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (We have inherited light, the truth, power and love of God!) That is ours because God has delivered us from the domain of darkness and He has transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. In Jesus we have redemption, in Jesus we have the forgiveness of sins.

This idea of being translated or transferred to kingdom of God's Son has the idea of the ancient world’s practice of the conquering nations moving the population of the conquered into the country of the victorious. That is what God has done. The Colossians and us, have been translated from darkness to light, from slavery to freedom, from condemnation to forgiveness, from the power of Satan to the power of Christ. No wonder then that Paul thanks and praises God.

Perspective In Prayer

When I think of Paul’s prayer, I can’t help but ask, “Do I prayer this way? Do I have the same perspective, the same view and understanding of prayer that Paul shows here? Do my prayers praise God? Are my prayers filled with thanks to the One who has blessed me in so many ways? Do my prayer express a desire to know the will of God or do they try to bend God’s will around my own? Do I long for patience to bear the hardships and suffering of this life? Do I really want to possess longsuffering that I can put up with the people who are responsible for making me need the patience I prayed for earlier?

(We all know someone like that and many times I know that someone is me. In that case, thank you for those who have been praying to put up with me. I’ve been praying for you too.)

When I pray, do I realize, that the wisdom, patience and longsuffering I’m seeking through God’s power is the means by which I will truly be joyful?

Do my prayers thank God for conquering death and sin and leading me out of darkness and into His kingdom of light?

Well, as I think of my own prayers, I’ll just be honest with you, no. The vast majority of the times I pray, I just don’t have this kind of heavenly, spiritual perspective. My prayers are often too earthbound to be heavenbound as Paul’s was here.

You know the saying, “He is so heavenly minded to be any earthly good.” Well with our prayers I'm afraid that sometimes, “they are too earthly minded to be any heavenly good.”