Paul's Prayer Pattern

PRAYER, IN ITS SIMPLEST FORM is a supplication for benefits either for one's self (petition) or for others (intercession). In a wider sense, it is an act of worship which covers all soul in its approach to God. Supplication is at the heart of it, for prayer always springs out of a sense of need and a belief that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6). Sometimes we wonder how to pray for missionaries and other leaders we have never met. Paul never met the Colossians, but he faithfully prayed for them. His prayers teach us how to pray for others, whether we know them or not. The passage in Colossians 1:9-12 is a good example and worth studying diligently. All believers have the same basic needs. What is true about Colossians that day is true about us today.

Colossians 1:9 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.

1. (Colossians 1:9) Paul demonstrates his concern for the Colossians by praying that they might be filled with the full knowledge of God's will for them. Proverbs 9.10 says “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding”. David told God “I take joy in doing your will, your will is written in my heart” (Psalms 40:8). Jesus taught us to pray “May thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.

2. Next in the same verse, he intercedes that they would be equipped with all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Proverbs 9.10 says “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding”. It is in Christ that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden (Colossians 2:3). Christ is the mighty power of God and the wonderful wisdom of God (Corinth 18:24). He wants the Colossian congregation to know that through human wisdom and human efforts one cannot understand God.           

3. In the next verse (1:10), he prays that they might live in a manner worthy of the Lord and be fully pleasing to Him. Here St. Paul begins to dwell on the practical life, reminding them they have been called by God and therefore must lead a life worthy of the awesome privilege of being called Christ’s own. This includes being humble, patient, gentle, understanding, and peaceful. People are watching them. Can they see Christ in them? How well do they represent Christ?

4. Still on the same verse, he challenges them to bear fruit while doing all kinds of good things and growing in the full knowledge of God.  The Christian life is about being fruitful. Jesus told His disciples “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:7, 8). No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit” (Luke 6:43, 44). John the Baptist warned the people that the axe had been kept at the root of the tree and any unfruitful tree will be cut and thrown into the fire.

5. Paul further prays that the church will grow in the knowledge of God. They were not yet perfect in knowledge, and therefore he prayed that they might go on, and grow in grace and knowledge of God and Christ. As he tells the Philippians, he wants them to know Christ, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death (Philippians 3:10). As he exhorted the Ephesians (4:13), the Colossians’ church too had to reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as they mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.

6. In verse 1:11 Paul prays that they will be strengthened with all His glorious power so they will have all the endurance and patience they need. He had similarly prayed for the Thessalonians in  1Thess. 1:3—“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ”.

7. He prays that the Colossians be filled with joy. The Christian life is a life of joy. The concept of joy is expressed in the Bible by a wealth of synonymous terms. Joy is different from happiness, the later primarily depending on external circumstances. Habakkuk makes this clear in a magnificent song at the end of his book: (3:17-19). Christians are expected to be contented and cheerful whatever the circumstances are. The assurance their sins are forgiven and the knowledge they have been released from the bondage of sin should bring them supreme joy. 

8. Finally in Colossians 1:12, St. Paul exhorts the church to remain always thanking the Father remembering He has enabled them to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people who live in the light.  They must thank God for:

·      Enabling them to share in His inheritance

·      Rescuing them from the kingdom of darkness

·      Transferring us them Son’s kingdom of light

·      Purchasing their freedom

·      Forgiving their sins

All believers have these basic needs. When you don’t know how to pray for strangers, use Paul’s prayer pattern for the Colossians.