Colossians [Day 1]
Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Prayer
I know in the beginning of my journey walking with Jesus, I was almost embarrassed to pray. I didn't really know what to say or how to pray, what to start and close with? It was all over the place. But just as with everything in life, with practice it starts becoming easier and more familiar to us.
If there's one thing I wish I would've learned and embraced earlier on, it would be that prayer is a respectful conversation between us and our Heavenly Father. He's the One we should go to when we have something weighing on our hearts, when we've had a rough day, when we don't understand something, when we don't have peace, etc. And He's also the One we should go to when things are going amazing, life's blessings are pouring into our hearts, and everything is falling into place. For every moment in our lives that are important to us, it's also just as important to God, and He wants to hear about it from our perspective.
Another thing I wish I would've learned earlier on, is that all the prayer examples we'll ever need is already in the Bible. We don't need to struggle with the words to say. We have a bunch of guidelines and models for how to pray and what to pray for laid out for us from cover to cover of God's Word.
So with that, let's deep dive into our verse of the day:
“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” Colossians 1:9 NIV
“For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,” Colossians 1:9 CSB
“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.” Colossians 1:9 NLT
“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;” Colossians 1:9 NKJV
“For this reason, since the day we heard about it, we have not stopped praying for you, asking [specifically] that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [with insight into His purposes], and in understanding [of spiritual things],” Colossians 1:9 AMP
This is a beautiful and powerful verse.
One thing that sticks out to me, is the fact that this is a continuous prayer. This prayer is ongoing, for the Holy Spirit to repeatedly fill us throughout our lives, walking with Christ Jesus. This is intentional because the Lord doesn't reveal His whole plan all at once; but rather He reveals His will to us gradually as we take steps in alignment with the steps He's ordered for us.
Each day we have the opportunity to receive from the Lord, as we give Him more of us. So each day, we can pray this prayer for fresh revelation and knowledge of the Lord, of His Will, and our role in His purposes; through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The next thing I noticed, is this prayer wasn't Paul praying for himself, but rather he was praying on behalf of the Colossians. So this got me thinking: who am I praying for? And what am I asking God for on their behalf? This being a beautiful and powerful prayer, can you imagine what it would look like for those we love to receive this blessing? Can you imagine what it would like for those we don't get along with....to receive this blessing?
How different would life be if everyone we've encountered knew, understood, and proactively put into practice the Will of God for their lives? This is the ultimate goal for those who follow Jesus; we want to be in God's will every moment of our lives, because we're safe and blessed there. How much more should we pray this for those around us; friends or not.
- Challenge -
Take inventory of your prayers.
Write them down and read them aloud to our Heavenly Father. Ask the Holy Spirit if there's anything or anyone you can add to your prayers; and with the leading of the Holy Spirit, pray Colossians 1:9 for yourself and for others.
Keep track of what your pray, who you pray for, and when you receive answers for those prayers. Writing things down and keeping records help us track our progress and also the faithfulness of God; so we don't forget.
- Closing Prayer -
Father God, I thank You for You are so good. I thank You for taking care of us and loving us through all of our moments in life. I pray for those having a hard time with speaking to You, that their hearts receive a peace, and a fire for You, Lord God; that they receive a hunger for prayer and a passion for Your Word as they grow more and more confident in who You created them to be, Lord God.
I thank You for the precious gift of the Holy Spirit, Lord God, that guides us to the path of righteousness and also fills our hearts with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of Your perfect Will. I pray that we all receive fresh revelation for our lives, this current season, our daily bread, and for Your Purposes for each of us Lord God. I pray this blessing over us, those we love, and those who have wronged us, Lord God; for it is Your will that everyone know You and receive eternal life.
I pray this in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.