Pray for Us

3 Be sure to pray that God will make a way for us to spread his message and explain the mystery about Christ, even though I am in jail for doing this. 4 Please pray that I will make the message as clear as possible. – Colossinas 4:3-4 (CEV)

I have to admit that I have fallen madly in love with some biblical passages.  They just send spiritual tingles all through me at the mere mention of them.

Psalm 1:1-6; Isaiah 53; John 5:1-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:11-18

Yet, Paul’s plea for prayer in Colossians has a different type of ring to it.  To Thessalonians, Paul urged them to pray without ceasing.  To the Ephesians, Paul  encouraged them to never stop praying for others and the ministry.  In fact, Paul even shared with the Philippians that they should pray about everything.  Yet, when he speaks to the believers at Colossae, Paul encourages, entreats and edifies them as faithful believers of this common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  He seeks more than a simple: “Pray for us.” Paul wants some prayer warriors to dig in and pray for them as presenters of the gospel message.

I love it.  It gets me all excited inside.  Paul wants folks to get worked up in prayer, so that a door may be found open for the presentation of the Good News.

Paul makes his request in this manner:

• With His Brothers and Sisters as His Support
  • Be sure to pray… verse 3
  • Please pray… verse 4
  • Support strengthens us to stand it a little longer and stick it out
• With God as His Source
  • …that God will make a way… verse 3
  • You need some earthly support, but you have to depend on an eternal source- God Almighty
  • Paul understood that and shared as much in his request for prayer
• With the Right Spiritual Attitude
  • …to spread his message and explain the mystery about Christ, even though I am in jail for doing this. verse 3
  • …that I will make the message as clear as possible. verse 4

Paul doesn’t request the trustees to put some money on his books with the jailer.  He doesn’t say send pen and paper.  No, he doesn’t request the Colossian bar association members to work on his appeal pro bono.  He doesn’t demand that the deacons take up a collection and send it by way of Timothy post-haste.  No, that’s not Paul’s modus operandi.  That’s not why he makes his prayer request.

He’s in jail and still has a heart to reach others for Christ.  His request is about Christ’s message that freed him from sin, so he is not thrown off by being in physical bondage.  He has been freedom from the clutches of sin and can freely share about it.

Paul understood that Christ suffered for his soul’s sake.  Thus, he embraced the opportunity to suffer for the sake of the souls of the new converts.  He suffered freely for the church, the body of Christ, because he understood that his sacrifice would lead to others hearing the message and coming to know the Lord.

We need more sacrificial messengers.  We are in dire need of more suffering saints who will pray for open opportunities to share and spread the Good News about Jesus Christ.

I just love it.

“All that God requires of us is an opportunity to show what He can do.”- D.L. Moody

We will continue with From Eden to Egypt on 12/3/10