Model Prayer

I think everyone struggles with prayer. We struggle to devote the time and attention we would like, and then we don't often know exactly what to say. If that's you, know that you're not alone. On Wednesday evenings, we gather to pray for a variety of requests, and often it's for people most of us don't know. When you don't know someone very well or at all, it can be difficult. This is why I have come to love and appreciate the Apostle Paul's prayer in Colossians 1. Paul didn't know the Colossians personally, but that didn't stop him from praying faithfully and specifically. 

Here's a helpful reminder: Pray specifically for things Scripture itself emphasizes as needs that are common to all believers. Read through Colossians 1:9-14 and pay attention to the specific needs that Paul addressed. Use this as a framework to pray for someone in your life today!

1. Pray for knowledge, specifically that they would discern God's will. Pray that they would stay faithful to the truth and away from anything that is false. 

2. Pray for them to live a God-honoring life, specifically that they would know and do what pleases Him. 

3. Pray that they would yield to the Spirit's inner working to produce quality spiritual fruit. 

4. Pray for the strength to withstand difficult circumstances and people who can be disruptive. 

5. Pray that the Lord would give them patience and joy even in the most frustrating of times. 

   
   

As you intercede for others using this model, know that you are praying according to God's will and that God delights in giving things that can only come from Him. 

Press on!

Pastor Brian Richard