Colossians 4:2-6
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
- Practice of Prayer – How do we pray
1. Persistent Prayer – Devote yourselves to prayer
Paul calls us to persist in prayer, to devote not dabble. Prayer is the sweetest privilege you will ever enjoy on earth, and also the severest struggle you will endure. We need to practice persistence, it reminds us of the early church in Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” In Luke 18:1, Jesus told his “disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” We live in an instant indulgent society of give it to me now, where our persistence in prayer is related to results. We make the goal of prayer taking where God makes it transforming. Its only though spending time in relationship with God that we reveal God. Do you remember when Moses went up on the mountain to receive the 10 commandments when he came back his face was glowing. It wasn’t the mountain that changed Moses it was the Messiah, transformation is a result of time spent with God. Today we rush into pursuing people without prayer in His presence. Evangelism doesn’t start with preaching but prayer.
2. Pay attention – An alert mind
When we are not devoted we become distracted. This exhortation brings to mind the words of Jesus the night before He was crucified in Mark 14:34, 38: “Stay here and keep watch…Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Watchful prayer protects against attack. Peter did not stay awake and pray and just a few hours later when the attack came he gave in to temptation and denied Christ. Consider the difference between two military sentries. One is guarding the Armory here in Scottsbluff the other in Afghanistan. Which one will probably pay more attention? The one who realizes he’s in a battle. Prayer protects from the prowling lion.
3. Praise of Prayer – Thankful
A thankful heart not head, this is not rational thanks but relational thanks. This is the seventh time thanksgiving is emphasized in Colossians. Gratitude should be the result of God’s grace. We have so much to thank Him for His presence, His provision, His pardon, His peace and promises.
Verse 2 has asked the question, “How do we pray?” where Verses 3-4 ask the question, “What do we say when we pray?” There are at least two things we should say when we pray.
1. Ask for opportunity
It’s amazing to me that while Paul is under house arrest he doesn’t ask for prayers for his release, or for better food. He asks for an open door for the gospel message the very thing that got him arrested. Paul’s focus was on an open door for the gospel not himself. So many times we try to use prayer as a can opener to open up doors for our own of opportunity. Prayer isn’t a tool its time with God, Paul understood that it wasn’t a locked prison door that held him back but a lack of power. Prayer is not chained by your circumstances, it is not imprisoned by your problems. What if the petition of our prayers was Lord give me an open door with the lost? But in our lives do we have time for the lost.
2. Ask for Clarity
Paul wasn’t focused on his chains but clearly sharing Christ. Paul didn’t want the message of Christ to be cloudy he wanted it to be clear and he knew that Satan would try to muddy the water or the message.
