Burning Bush Blogs
Equipping Men with Biblical Knowledge and Leadership Skills
Category: Group Study
Thread: How to Pray for Other Believers
Post Topic: Praying for Believers to Know God’s Will and Power
Post in Thread: #1
Next: Praying for Believers’ Love to Abound
Scripture: Colossians 1:9-12
Key Verses:
Colossians 1:9b-12
We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
Series Note
Have you ever wondered how to better pray for brothers and sisters in Christ? Of course, we can pray for their immediate needs – health concerns, employment issues, relationships, etc. But how do we go deeper? How do we pray for their spiritual needs; their spiritual growth?
Paul gives us four examples of prayers for spiritual growth of specific believers in his letters to the churches at Colossae, Philippi, and Ephesus. This series studies how Paul structures those prayers and how we can apply this structure to our own prayers.
If we dig a little, we notice a pattern in the prayers –
- What Paul prays for these believers
- How he expects God to answer
- Why God’s answer will profoundly impact these beloved partners in Christ
Observations
Context
The Apostle Paul wrote Colossians from prison in Rome. Epaphras, Paul’s loyal friend from Colossae, was imprisoned with Paul at the time of this writing. Epaphras had likely established and pastored the small house-church of under 50 people at Colossae. An insignificant church in an insignificant town. But this epistle to the Colossians is anything but insignificant. Powerfully, it proclaims the superiority of Christ as opposed to the emptiness of human philosophies.
Epaphras and Paul prayed constantly for their concerns for the church. Colossians 4:12 mentions how Epaphras wrestles in prayer for them. Epaphras had made Paul aware of heresies that threatened the church he loved, and this is why this letter so emphasizes the deity of Christ. But that is not our focus. Our focus is the prayer in chapter 1, which lovingly details how Paul and Epaphras pray for their brothers and sisters in Christ to know God’s will and experience his power.
Genre
Colossians is an epistle—a letter.
Group activity (answers are just below)
Study the passage together and list what you think Paul is praying for these believers. Then pick out the How and the Why:
Verse 9-10: What _________________ How ______________ Why ________________
Verse 11-12: What _________________ How ______________ Why ________________
Compare to what our bloggers came up with. Does it differ much? If so, that’s okay.
What Paul prays for the Colossians:
- Knowledge of God’s will for their lives (v9).
- That they be strengthened with all power (v11).
How he expects God to answer:
- Through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit (v9).
- Through the glorious might of God (v11).
Why God’s answer will profoundly impact these beloved partners in Christ
- Live worthy of the Lord, pleasing him in every way.
- Bearing fruit of good works.
- Growing in overall knowledge.
- Develop endurance and patience.
- Ability to give joyful thanks to the Father.
Discussion
Think of a typical prayer request. Compare Paul’s prayers to how we often pray for each other. What does Paul NOT pray for these Christians?
What if -when Billy Graham was alive, you received a letter from him? In it, he said he was praying for you and your group of believers to know God’s Will. After recovering from the shock of hearing from this great man of faith, what would you do—say—share–think? Would it change you?
Then suppose Billy also said he believed God’s answer would occur through the wisdom and might of the Holy Spirit. Would you have been all the more encouraged? (Or still dumb-founded that you had this letter?)
Interpretation
Takeaways
Believers often do wonder if we can know God’s Will. Paul and Epaphras would not have prayed the way they did for the Colossians if it were not possible.
- Paul assured them that being in God’s will would please the Lord. Asking the Spirit to grant this gift is pleasing to the Lord.
- Walking in God’s will should be the goal of a individual believers and a community of believers.
- We grow in knowledge.
- We bear fruit of good works
- We find inner strength, endurance, and patience.
- We find the ability to give joyful thanks, knowing that we are being used by God and are blessed by the Spirit.
Where does inner strength come from? And what does it look like?
- Paul also assured that these gifts come only through the glorious might of God, not man.
- They come through prayer.
- They are manifested as patience and endurance – not traits our world often thinks of first with strength.
Imagine
The stonemason trudged toward home in the cool of the evening, inhaling a deep, cleansing breath. He stretched his muscles as he walked, knowing he’d be sore tomorrow. But a good kind of soreness. Having spent the day repairing the stone wall at Philemon’s home, Timon’s mouth dripped with anticipation of the lamb stew Martha had promised that morning.
Squeals of delight resounded down the street as Aaron and little Peter came toddling down the cobbled walkway. Grinning, the mason ran to them and hoisted them above, swirling them in the air like darting sparrows.
“Timon!” Martha greeted him at the doorway. “Everything set for tonight?”
He thought about the meeting. They’d be worshipping at Philemon’s home again, in his courtyard. “I can’t help but think I’ve missed something.”
She kissed him gently on the cheek. “You worry too much. Nobody expects you to be as good as Epaphras. But you always have everything ready. Scripture. Songs. Fellowship. Even treats for the children. And your prayers for Epaphras and Tychicus are beautiful.”
“I worry about Epaphras. I know Paul needs him. But Rome? So far. So dangerous. When will he return?”
“The Lord protects him.”
“The rumors of other churches and what they go through… we have no fears of such persecution here. Not yet, anyway.”
Halfway through the meal, urgent footsteps pounded outside. Philemon’s son, Archippus slid in front of them, his face red from exertion. The young man had been growing in the Lord, even leading a new church in nearby Laodicea. “We have news from Rome! A letter from Paul himself!”
Timon scrambled away from the table. “Epaphras? Is he back?”
Archippus’s face dropped. “Tychicus brought the letter. Onesimus was with him.”
“Onesimus? Really? But no Epaphras? What aren’t you telling me?”
“I’m afraid he is imprisoned with Paul in Rome. Please help me gather everyone in the courtyard. We’ll read the letter together.”
Discussion
- What do you need more in your life, knowledge of God’s will, or a bigger portion of God’s might to carry out that will?
- Which of these benefits of Paul’s prayer do you want most for yourself? For someone you love?
- Growing in the knowledge of the Lord.
- Bearing more fruit with your good works.
- Finding inner strength and endurance. Patience.
- The joy of giving thanks in every situation.
Correlation
Romans 12:1-2 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Dissecting the Passage
- How does Paul tell us to discern God’s Will in Romans 12:1-2?
- What’s the relationship between” purity” and “discerning God’s Will”? Do you see the relationship in both Romans and Colossians?
- What does Paul mean with the phrase conformed to this world?
- Are worldly pursuits always inherently bad?
- When might worldly pursuits hinder us from knowing the will of God?
- Does festering sin prevent the Spirit from granting us wisdom and understanding?
- What do you think “testing” means in this passage?
- Does Paul imply that knowing God’s will is easy?
Application
Generic Applications
Pray for Knowledge of God’s Will
We should pray for our brothers and sisters to know God’s will, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Sample Prayer (customize it for yourself or your group): Spirit of God, descend upon “name” and grant them wisdom to discern the knowledge of God’s will for their life. May this wisdom bear much fruit in them, allowing them to live a life pleasing to the Father, continuing to grow in understanding, and developing an ever-deepening joy in their faith.
- Is this striking a chord for someone? Is someone facing a major decision or a situation in your life where you need to know God’s will? If so, pray over this person together.
- We all need better knowledge of God’s will in our lives on a day to day basis. Let’s agree to pray for this over one other person in the group at least once a week, if not more often. Don’t forget to pray that this knowledge is granted by the Spirit and leads to a life worthy of the Lord.
Pray for Strength and Power
Have you ever thought about how glorious it would be to truly understand and experience the might of God, like the apostles experienced it? Why can’t we?
Sample Prayer (customize it for yourself or your group): Our Father, please bestow your glorious might upon “name,” strengthening them and empowering them as they face life’s struggles, giving them endurance to persevere. Provide them with patience as they trust your plan to unfold, rejoicing in the knowledge that we share the inheritance of your holy people.
- Is there someone in our church or our family or circle of friends, who needs endurance to persevere through a difficult life situation right now? Both of these prayers would apply. They need to know God’s will, and they need God’s might to endure. Let’s pray this over them as a group.
- We’d all love to have a bigger portion of God’s might bestowed upon us every day. Let’s agree to pray for God to strengthen one other person in the group at least once a week, if not more often.
Personalize it – Take a moment of personal reflection…
There’s nothing stopping me from praying these for myself too. Is there an area in my life where I am struggling to understand God’s plan? Do I feel weak at times, unable to live a life pleasing to God? Do these prayers give me hope?
Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:
Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.
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