Pray Ohio - April 2016

“I believe that prayer is the measure of the man, spiritually, in a way that nothing else is, so that how we pray is as important a question as we can ever face. …There is no recipe for prayer that can work for us like a handyman’s do-it-yourself manual or cookery book, where the claim is that if you follow the instructions, you can’t go wrong. Praying… is the active exercise of a personal relationship, a kind of friendship, with the living God and His Son Jesus Christ, and the way it goes is more under divine control than under ours. …You learn to pray by praying.” (J.I. Packer, My Path of Prayer, p. 56-57)

     Our prayers reveal what we believe about the Father and what we value and desire. Though we learn how to pray by praying, we can get a good idea what to pray by studying the prayers of the Bible. Paul’s prayers are great examples. His gospel-centered prayer recorded in Colossians 1:9-14 challenges us to examine our priorities in prayer for others.

     1) Paul asked the Father to fill believers with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. This isn’t just head knowledge, but a deep understanding of what the Father wants so we may live transformed lives that glorify Him.

     2) The purpose of his petition is that we may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him. D.A. Carson notes “Transparently, we cannot begin to be utterly pleasing to Jesus unless God fills us with the knowledge of His will. Conversely, the knowledge of His will is not an end in itself but has as its goal such Christian maturity that our deepest desire is to please the Lord Jesus Christ.” (p. 86)

What does a life pleasing to the Lord look like?

Bearing fruit in every good work (v. 10) As Paul would say to the Ephesians: “We are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) Spiritual fruit glories the Father and is evidence of an ongoing, life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Growing in the knowledge of God (v. 10) Again Carson comments: “As you get busy in the business of obedience, you get to know God better. That, in turn, impels you to more obedience, which in turn opens up new vistas in the knowledge of God and His will. Of course, as your knowledge of God and His will improves, you are driven to greater obedience.” (p. 87)

Strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience (v. 11) His grace provides strength to carry the load all the way to the finish line, and the patience to do it with grace in any circumstance.

Giving thanks to the Father (v. 12) Paul writes these words while sitting in a dark, dingy, Roman prison. The gospel motivates a joyful gratitude wherever we are.

Our prayers often focus on the urgent needs of the moment. Paul focuses on that which carries eternal weight. Join our PrayOhio! 2016 prayer initiative by praying like Paul for churches and church plants, pastors and planters, mission catalysts and church leaders across Ohio.

Recommended: 
Praying with Paul, D.A. Carson - (Baker, 2014)