Intercessory Prayer

September 18

Isaiah 28-29

Psalm 105:12-22

Proverbs 23:4-5

Colossians 1:1-14

Intercessory Prayer

“For this reason also, since the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and multiplying in the full knowledge of God;  being strengthened in power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”  Colossians 1:9-12  LSB 

This passage is convicting to me. I want someone to pray for me like that, but then I have to ask myself if I pray for others in that way.  God has made me sensitive to the importance of prayer and the necessity of bringing our requests to Him for ourselves but also on behalf of others.  I know the power of prayer because I have specifically and directly experienced God’s answers to my prayers.  But if I am honest, most of my prayers are for physical needs and focus on specific current situations.  This prayer by Paul goes way beyond that.  He is praying for the spiritual well-being of his friends.  First, he prayed that they would know God’s will with wisdom and understanding.  This is a prayer for spiritual discernment.  It is often hard to distinguish between our wants and desires and God’s will.  We need people who will help us pray for discernment and wisdom to stay on the path He has for us.  Paul prayed that they would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.  We need to pray for each other as we strive to maintain our integrity and that we would please God in everything we do and say.  He prayed that they would bear fruit in every good work.  He was asking God not only to give them knowledge and understanding but that it would influence their actions and behavior.  We can pray that God would develop the fruit of the Spirit in those we love so that it comes through in their actions.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22-23 LSB 

Paul went on to pray for a multiplying in the full knowledge of God.  This is a prayer for their spiritual growth.  He was praying that they would grow in the knowledge and understanding of God’s Word.  We can pray that those we love have opportunities to grow in the Lord through Bible studies, personal time with God, going to church, etc.  He then asked God to strengthen them and give them steadfastness and patience.  He knew that they were going to face persecution in the days to come and he asked God to strengthen and prepare them so that they would be able to stand firm and remain true to their calling as believers.  In addition to praying for the immediate needs of our friends and family, let’s make a conscious effort to pray for their spiritual growth and development.  Let’s follow Paul’s example and go the next step in our prayers for others and ask God to bring people into our lives who will pray for us in this way.