In the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians we can learn a number of important points regarding praying for others.
1. WHEN WE PRAY FOR OTHERS IT IS TO BE WITH THANKSGIVING (1:3)
When you pray for your friends and family, do you focus your attention on the things that you are thankful for? The apostle Paul saw things in the lives of the Colossian believers that caused him to offer thanks to God for. He was thankful for their faith in Christ (1:4). He was thankful that God had saved them from their sins and brought them into a living and vital relationship with Christ. Do we offer thanksgiving to the Lord for the salvation of our friends and family?
Paul was also thankful to the Lord for the love they possessed toward all of the saints (1:4). Are we thankful to the Lord when we see His love demonstrated in the lives of our fellow believers? Do we offer thanks to God for the acts of love that others demonstrate toward us?
Paul gave thanks to God also for the hope that was laid up in heaven for the Colossians. I wonder if we do that? We see the Lord Jesus moving in and through a brother or sisters life through some act of service, and do we then thank God that they will receive a rich reward in heaven for their sacrificial service to the cause of Christ?
A final point of thanksgiving for the apostle was the fruitful lives of the Colossian brothers and sisters? He saw that they were growing in their faith and knowledge of Christ. He saw the fruit of the Spirit being made manifest in their daily lives and he thanked the Lord for it. He was glad to see that others were making progress in their spiritual walk and he did not hesitate to offer thanksgiving for it. Do we do likewise when we see others making spiritual progress?
Let me urge you to sit down and write down a list of your family and friends and then add some reasons as to why you are thankful to God for them. Once you have done that offer up each point as a prayer to the Lord.
2. WHEN WE SAY WE WILL PRAY FOR OTHERS LET US DO IT (1:9)
The apostle Paul no doubt had a lot of requests from others seeking prayer for one thing or another. We learn from many of his letters that he spent a lot of time praying for others. He was committed to praying for others. He longed that others would pray for him and he believed that they were faithful in offering pray on his behalf, therefore he would also be faithful in praying for the needs of the Church and the individuals who made up those churches.
How many of us have been asked by a brother or sister to pray for them and have forgotten to do so? No doubt many of us (me included). We need to share the faithfulness of the apostle in actually praying for others. It is not enough just say you will do it and then forget all about it. It would be more honest of you to say that you would rather not pray than to promise and not fulfill that promise.
Another aspect that we often forget is finding out how the situations we are requested to pray for actually turn out. There can be no greater joy and encouragement to faith than to experience answer to pray, and it is great to be able to rejoice with others as their requests have been granted. A good way to remember people’s requests is to obtain a small note book in which to record the requests, also include a space to register the answer. By doing this you will have a record of the faithfulness of God to hear and answer prayer.
3. PRAYING FOR OTHERS MEANS MAKING SPECIFIC REQUESTS (1:9-12)
Too often we pray for others in a rather vague way. We ask God to bless a brother or sister yet fail to mention the particular blessing of God that we would like to see God bestow upon them.
In verses 9-12 the apostle Paul provides a number of requests that are very specific. Let me encourage you to read this prayer of Paul’s and the other prayers in his letters to the Ephesians and the Philippians. Adapt the specific requests as you pray for others.
So when friends and family come requesting prayer from us it will be useful to find out specific requests from them in order that we may ask the Lord clearly that He might act on our brother or sister’s behalf. If we ask only vague things we should not be too surprised to find a lack of answers. If we ask specifically, He will answer specifically.
May God bless these words to our hearts and enable us all to be people who pray for others with thanksgiving, committedly and specifically.
Amen.
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