Devoted to Prayer

As Paul finishes his letter he circles back around to the same encouragement that he started with – the importance of prayer. Prayer is almost counterintuitive in a world where our productivity and our performance are constantly analysed. It is the ultimate statement of faith, giving time and effort to acknowledge and seek out God’s presence and provision.

And the command that Paul gives us is to devote ourselves to a life of prayer. Put simply, our faith is sustained and our world is impacted by prayer. And we get a glimpse here of the seriousness of Paul’s conviction about this. He asks the Colossians to also pray for him – to pray for great opportunities and for God’s equipping as he shares the Gospel. Paul understood that the effectiveness of his life and his ministry was entirely dependent on God’s supernatural power working through Him. He doesn’t get obsessed with setting up great programmes or mastering ministry techniques. He knows that without God’s assistance, his best efforts will not further the Kingdom.

And one of the beautiful things that we notice here is that Paul is absolutely confident that their prayers will make a difference. Paul asks them to pray because God answers prayer. And it’s not about some kind of superior eloquence, it’s not that the Colossians are elite pray-ers. It’s simply the truth that God enjoys being invited to influence our lives. So even if I feel inexperienced or lost for words, my feeble prayers are still God's powerhouse.

And our prayers reflect two things. Firstly, prayer reflects our awareness of the intimate relationship that God offers each of us in Jesus. And secondly, prayer reflects our awareness of God’s desire to bring redemptive change into this world. When we pray we are drawing near to God and inviting Him to use us to extend His Kingdom.

So that’s why Paul encourages us to ‘devote’ ourselves to prayer. The idea echoes a couple of Jesus’ parables where he encourages his disciples to be watchful and disciplined as they wait for Jesus’ return. (The Parable of the 10 Virgins in Matthew 25.1-13 & Staying Watchful in Luke 12.35-40.)

Prayer is about cultivating a heart that is thankful for all we’ve been given and stirring up an expectant hope for all that God is yet to do.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. How much of a priority is prayer in my daily life? How does it compare to other priorities that I have?
2. How expectant are my prayers? What am I anticipating God is going to do in and through me?
3. How much of my prayer life is devoted to thankfulness?