Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Colossians 4:2-6 NKJV
It was no secret that after Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus his complete mission and purpose in life had changed. Everything Paul did and said had to do with doing the will of the Father.
Paul seldom asked for much more than prayer, which was the most priceless thing anyone could offer.
Prayer does so many things. Prayer invites the power and presence of God to come into situations that only God could occupy and perform miracles in.
Prayer allows us to come into the presence and throne of grace in our times of need.
More importantly though, prayer allows us to come before God and praise Him, acknowledge His majesty and holiness. To praise Him for who He is, the God of God’s, King of kings, and the only living and the Highest God.
Prayer allows us to commune with God and to know His heart and will. We do not have to go far when it comes to knowing God’s will. It is God’s will and desire that none would perish and that all people would come to know God through Jesus Christ.
15that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:15-17
God’s word is packed with God’s heart and will being expressed. The greatest desire of God is to know you and have a relationship with you. The only way for this is to come to Jesus Christ and confess Him as your Lord and savior.
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 NKJV
Right here we see God’s heart and will for us. If we pray in this way God will hear us and give us the grace and ability to share the Good News (Gospel) of Jesus Christ and His love for us.
Asking is a vital component of our relationship with God. This is true because He ahs commanded us to seek Him as our ultimate source in all things. He has ordained prayer as how we depend on and trust in Him. He answers our prayers it gives us what He knows we need to bring Him Glory. . . 21 Days of Breakthrough Prayer by Jim Maxim
We can go to God the Father and ask anything according to His will and Jesus has promised that He will do it. We are reminded that we often do not see answer to prayer, not because God does not hear us, but because we ask amiss. (James 4:2-3)
This does not mean that we do not ask God to move and respond to our needs and the needs of others. But all to often we make this priority and it is not always in line with God’s priority of people coming to know Him.
What we need to ask God and ourselves is, are we inline with God’s will and priorities?
Imagine your sitting in a quiet place thinking about your children and one of them breaks in and begins blurting out what they need from you, how they want you to get up and move in a situation on their behalf, how they want you to make their life better.
The whole time they are going on about what they need they never take into consideration what you need or what your will would be. Imagine how God must feel.
Imagine on the other hand your children came in sought to have a relationship with you and desired to do your will. How would that be a different experience and interaction?
It is God’s will and desire to have a relationship with you, but He is not a short order God waiting to satisfy our desires and whims of this world.
It is God’s desire to not only have a relationship with you, but to be present with you through the presence and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. One day we are promised a perfected body, one that can stand in the immediate presence and glory of God.
Paul does not just ask for prayer in the passage we are looking at today. He starts out with instruction in V.2 to continue energetically and passionately in prayer and making thanksgiving a priority.
Thanksgiving is one of the best and most powerful ways to honor and love God. That is why testimonies are so important and powerful. We do not only talk about what God has done but we can publicly give God thanks for His graciousness.
Prayer should not be an event, but a habit and way of life. Paul encourages believers in Jesus to Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Paul continues to ask for prayer that God would open the door to share the gospel V.3. By asking to open the door opportunity is given for the gospel, and the leading of the Holy Spirit is present.
This is necessary as sometimes the Holy Spirit will close doors (Acts 16:7) and other times the enemy will do everything possible to hinder us in our efforts to witness and be a witness. (1 Thessalonians 2:18).
What stands out is in V.4 where Paul’s prayer is to tell other’s about Christ in the way he should tell other’s about Christ. This is not only in words but in our actions and character.
Paul’s request for prayer does not stop there. He continues to ask that not only that doors be opened for the gospel to be shared, but that he would take advantage of every opportunity to walk in wisdom around those without the wisdom.
In other words, Paul was asking for prayer for him to walk and live in the knowledge of God through Jesus Christ, especially around those who did not know Jesus as their Lord and savior.
It is easy to walk in the knowledge around other Christians, but it is another thing to do so in the presence of people who do not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Paul is asking for the grace of God to be manifest in him so that the knowledge of Christ could be made manifest in those that do not have the knowledge of Christ.
Paul ends his request with Godly encouragement. He encourages those that pray for him to have and foster a certain godly character. One of humility and Christlikeness.
This is done through gracious speech that is pleasant. Seasoned with salt is seasoned with the word of God. The goal is to bring out the best in other people when conversing, not putting them down, but emphasizing their God given gifts, and most importantly, the gift and love of God expressed at the cross through Jesus Christ.
There is power in the name of Jesus. The phrase “pray in the name of Jesus” is often used by Christians, and it refers to the practice of praying to God and asking for His help, guidance, or protection.
Two things about the death of Christ. The first was that since one person died for and in place of everyone else, everyone had died. What is this death at the end? Either the death they deserved because of their sin.
It’s odd how we often acknowledge that we take on too much, and try to accomplish things in our own strength, and need to rely more on Jesus. And yet we continue to do the same thing over and over.
The conscience is a divinely given moral compass that can be swayed by many factors, such as our background, experiences, and thoughts. What is important is the truth that one has to inform their conscience.
Life is rough for most people today. Just when we have hope of a life returning to normal, we are seeing things none of us have ever seen in our lifetime.
To grasp the magnitude of our deliverance, we must first comprehend where we came from. We are not exempt from the repercussions of our actions because we are descendants of Adam.
