The theme of the Pauline communication to the believers in Colosse is Christ, the Head of the Church.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
In association with that we find in the letter many references to prayer.
Colossians is one of the commonly known trio of Prison Epistles. The other two are Ephesians and Philippians. Paul had time to write and pray during his stay in the Roman prison. Isolation is a good time to work on things we might neglect otherwise. Paul wrote his most Christocentric epistles while in a prison cell.
And he prayed.
He prayed for the people. A lot.
1:3,4: We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints.
Their faith in Christ and their love for the saints were an inspiration to Paul that moved him to speak to God about them.
In 1:9-12 he gives us insight what he prayed about for this Church.
1:9: For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
Again, his prayer is continual: We do not cease to pray for you.
And his prayer is profound: That they might be filled with the knowledge of God’s will; That they might be fruitful; that they would mature in the knowledge of God; and that they would be strong in endurance with joyfulness. That prayer answered would guarantee a victorious believer and a powerful Church.
He concludes that prayer as he taught to pray, with thanksgiving.
Verse 12: Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.
This is a prayer that church leaders can pray for their people and that we can pray for one another. And we can pray it for ourselves. Filled, fruitful, mature, and strong believers, could definitely change their world.
And that is just Chapter One. As he begins so he finishes. Let us look at Chapter 4:2-4:
2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
Follow my lead Church. Do as I do. Continue in prayer. Again he reminds the church to be thankful.
3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
The man in prison asks for prayer. Not a self-serving prayer. His only prayer request is for an open door to utter, to speak, to make manifest the mystery.
If you read Chapters two and three you will see the mystery of Christ he is talking about. Chapter 2:26,27 declares it:
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Gentile saint, That prayer was answered. -PJF-
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