Paul opens the letter with a prayer for the followers he's Colosse.
Colossians 1:9-14 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
If you break this prayer down (and please do), I think you'll see that it is basically a prayer to be filled with knowledge of God's will. Everything that follows that is an explanation of why that is so important. (It is then that you will live a worthy life that pleases God, being strengthened to endure with gratitude.)
You can tell a lot about what is important to a person by what they pray. And Paul says that he has prayed non-stop that they would be filled with this knowledge ever since they heard and embraced the gospel.
Skip to Colossians 4:12-13. We have already learned in Colossians 1:7 that Epaphras was the one who originally preached the gospel to this group of beleivers. Here we find that Epaphras in no way sees his job as completed.
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.
Epaphras is "always wrestling in prayer". That sounds intense. And when Paul says that Epahras is "working hard" for them, I assume that is a second illusion to his effort in prayer on their behalf (What more could he be doing for them so far away?).
And what is it that Epaphras wants for these believers? To stand firm int he will of God, mature and fully assured.
Paul prayed non-stop that they would know God's will. Epaphras was about doing the hard work of always wrestling in prayer that they would stand firm in the will of God.
So, when Paul instructs us in Colossians 4:2 to "devote" ourselves to prayer, I think we have a pretty clear picture of what kind of intensity that devotion should carry. ("I have not stopped praying." "He is always wrestling in prayer for you... working hard for you.")
And I think we get a pretty good idea of what to be praying for.
So, as I type this, I pray that those reading would be filled with knowledge of God's will through all spirtual wisdom and understanding that you may stand firm in that will, mature and fully assured.
Please, do no less for me.
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3 comments:
First, great post and encapsulation of Colossians.
I wanted to hear more about "God's will." What do you think Paul meant? What do you mean?
That would have made for a much longer post. I'd like to say that given Scripture, God's will has been pretty thoroughly revealed. But the implication by Paul and Epaphras' effort seems to be that it is a bit trickier than that.
I think one of the many keys is "Spiritual wisdom and understanding." When we gain that perspective, we can more easily see the sorts of things that God would desire.
Since we have Scripture, maybe it is thoroughly revealed. But to a first century Christian, perhaps not so. So, when Paul prays that they understand God's will do you think that is synonymous with "live the Christian life"? Or is there more going on?
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