We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, (Col. 1:3) Paul had never been to Colossae. He probably didn't know hardly any of the people there. His primary connection with the Colossian believers was through his friends Epaphras and Onesimus. None the less Paul, still prayed for them. Not only that but when he prayed for them, he thanked God for them.
What types of things did Paul thank God for concerning the Colossians? We don't have to wonder because he tells us: For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace.
Oh, what a powerful reminder of the true heart of prayer! How often do we find ourselves consumed with our own immediate needs, our personal comfort, and our desires for ease? Yet, here we see a beautiful example of intercession that transcends the temporal. It's so easy to get caught up in praying for solutions to our problems, for healing, for financial breakthroughs. But this reveals something far more profound: a focus on the eternal, on the spiritual well-being of others. To give thanks for the faith, love, and hope growing in fellow believers – that is a truly Christ-like perspective!
At this point in his life, Paul is in chains. He was arrested in Jerusalem. He's facing a trial in a Roman court. They could execute him. Wouldn't you expect Paul to ask to escape his chains? If it were me, I'd be begging God to let me out. I'd be pressing everyone I know to beg God to let me go free.
What's so astonishing is that he doesn't ask that he'd skip the pains of imprisonment. He doesn't pray for an escape route. The hardest two days of my life was when I got a corneal abrasion. That's a scratch on the surface of the eye. It hurt so bad; there were moments I wished I was dead. It was unlike anything I'd experienced in my life. My prayer life got very real during the few days I was waiting for it to heal.
This is revolutionary! In the face of immense personal suffering, imprisonment, and the threat of death, the priority remains on spiritual fruit. It completely reframes our understanding of what it means to pray effectively. It's not about avoiding hardship, but about embracing it as an opportunity for growth, for bearing witness, and for advancing the Kingdom. The shift from praying for comfort to praying for courage, for wisdom, and for the ability to share the gospel even in the darkest of circumstances - that's true devotion.
Are we willing to re-evaluate our own prayer lives in light of this profound truth? To prioritize spiritual growth over personal comfort, to intercede for others with a focus on their faith, love, and hope? Let us learn to pray for spiritual fruit, and in doing so, discover a deeper connection with God and a more meaningful impact on the world around us. Dive deeper into these transformative ideas and discover a more profound understanding of prayer by reading Things Above.
