As we come together to worship the Lord and focus on the days ahead, I’m reminded of this awesome prayer declared by the apostle Paul to the Colossian church. He asked God that the people ‘may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual knowledge and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.’ (Colossians 1:9-14).
Wow, what a massive prayer! Prayer figures a lot in the Christian life, and today we will be talking a lot about it too. Its frequency in the Bible can only point to its importance. As Paul lifts the church in these words of exhortation, the Spirit leads him to a place of faith and expansion. The God-inspired words are life-giving and empowering, reminding the believer of what we have been called from and what we have been called to! As I read this, I’m challenged to pray bigger prayers and believe with greater measure that God wants to enlarge our sense of who we are in him; that we might increase in knowledge and strength and a sense of qualification to be used for God’s glory!