Praying for Wisdom

Is Prayer Worth It?

When you pray, what do you hope the outcome is? Maybe you’re praying for something specific, or about something that is happening soon. When you do, what do you hope happens next? Prayer is an interesting part of the Christian walk because regardless of what happens regarding what you prayed for, prayer is still worth doing. In the New Testament epistles, we are given some great examples of prayer, both how to do it and its purpose. And more often than not, the Bible isn’t too concerned with the outcome of prayer. Instead, Scripture points us towards the fruit of being a prayerful person, or, in other words, what comes out of a prayer filled life.

In this series, we’ll use the epistles to help us better understand how and why we pray. Whether or not what you pray for ends up how you wanted, it is worth to be a person who can’t help but pray.

6. Praying for Wisdom

Verse: Colossians 1:9-14 (cf. Philippians 1:9-11; James 1:5-8)

Big Idea: Paul doesn't pray for the Colossians' circumstances to change, he prays for their wisdom to meet whatever comes, and he prays it for them, not for himself. The last four weeks named what's wrong with how we pray. Tonight starts naming what's missing.

Introduction

ICEQ | …

Series Summary

When you pray, what do you hope the outcome is? More often than not, the Bible isn’t too concerned with the outcome of prayer. Instead, Scripture points us towards the fruit of being a prayerful person, or, in other words, what comes out of a prayer filled life.

In this series, we’ll use the epistles to help us better understand how and why we pray. Whether or not what you pray for ends up how you wanted, it is worth to be a person who can’t help but pray.

Where We're Going

Let's walk back through what we've covered. Paul started praying to know God, not to get an outcome. Then we named idol-worship prayers, asking God for what we want. Wishy-washy prayers, asking without trusting. On-again-off-again prayers, showing up when things get bad and disappearing when they don't. And two weeks ago, we stopped talking about prayer and just prayed, confessing where we'd landed in each one.

That's four weeks of what's wrong. Tonight we flip it.

Starting now, we're not naming bad habits anymore. We're naming what's missing, the prayers most of us never think to pray at all. And there's something else we're bringing back tonight. When we named idol-worship prayer, wishy-washy prayer, on-again-off-again prayer, all three were about us and our own praying. Tonight and next week, we're going to see Paul pray these things over people he may never even see again. Not just for himself. For others.

If everything we've said the last month is true, that our prayers can be selfish, or doubting, or on-again-off-again, then here's the obvious next question. If that's not how we're supposed to pray... how are we supposed to pray?

Introductory Questions

Before we do that, let’s think about praying for other people…

Q | When you pray for someone else, what do you usually ask God for on their behalf?

Q | Think about the last hard thing you prayed about. Were you asking God to change what was happening, or asking God to change you inside of what was happening?

Q | Is there a difference?

Getting Into The Text(s)

Paul planted a lot of churches. Colossae wasn't one of them. He'd never been there. Someone named Epaphras started that church and brought Paul word of how they were doing. And Paul, writing from a prison cell, tells them what he's been asking God for on their behalf.

Read Colossians 1:9–14 “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom 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; being 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.”

Think About It | Notice what Paul doesn't ask for. He doesn't pray that their circumstances get easier. He doesn't pray for their persecution to stop or their problems to resolve.

He prays that they'd be filled with the knowledge of God's will, in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Q | Why would Paul skip praying for their circumstances and go straight to wisdom?

Did You Catch That? | He's praying for people he's never met, for something that isn't about making their lives easier. It's about who they become inside whatever life brings them.

Now put this next to another prayer Paul prays, this time for a church he planted himself.

Philippians 1:9–11 “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

Same move. Paul isn't praying their situation improves. He's praying they'd know how to discern what's excellent, wherever they are.

Q | What's the difference between praying for a good outcome and praying for the wisdom to meet whatever outcome comes?

Wait A Second | Remember James, back in week three? If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

We already learned wisdom is available just for the asking. Here's what we're adding tonight. It's not just available for you to ask for yourself. Paul is out here asking it for other people.

Discussion

Two things are true in these texts, and I want to pull out both of those.

First, we default to praying for outcomes. We’ve talked about that a lot. Fix this, change that, make it easier. And wisdom rarely makes the list, because wisdom isn't a result you can see happen. It's something you need no matter how things turn out.

Second, we default to praying for ourselves. Paul is praying all of this over people he's never met.

Q | Which one is more true of you, that you skip wisdom, or that you mostly only pray for you?

Q | Who in your life needs wisdom right now, for something you don't even know the outcome of yet?

Prayer Activity

Right now, do what Paul just did in that text. Pray wisdom over your own life, and pray wisdom over someone else's. Introduce the activity: On your card, write down two outcomes or conflicts in your own life right now where you need to pray for wisdom. Not that the outcome changes. That you'd know what to do inside of it.

Then write down two outcomes or conflicts in someone else's life, someone you know is walking through something, where you can pray that they'd find godly wisdom.

Then pray through it together. Personal two first, then the two they wrote for someone else.

Conclusion

Prayer is worth doing not because you get something out of it, but because your life depends on it.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–19 ESV

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.

Prayer is worth doing not because you get something out of it, but because your life depends on it. Tonight, so does someone else's, the two names you just wrote down.

Q | What's one way you could check in on the person you wrote down, not just pray for them from a distance?

Close in prayer.