Reshaping Our Prayer Life

Introduction

Our text before us this morning gives us some insight into the prayer life of the apostle Paul for a group of believers that he had never met in the city of Colossae. By far, what should be most influential to our prayer life are the Scriptures themselves. The more that we study the Scriptures and learn of the God of the Bible, the more inclined we are to pray to him. Our theology will shape our prayer life, or lack of prayer life.

If we see God for who he is and as he has revealed himself to us in the Scriptures as glorious, mighty, holy, sovereign, gracious, good and merciful, full of truth and love the more our hearts will be in tune to him and the more we will desire to pursue him and seek big things through our prayers.

However, if our view or theology of God is weak and misinformed, then that will affect our prayer life or really will create a lack of a prayer life. I mean, why pray to a God who we see as incapable of helping or indifferent to our needs?

I know this is going to sound tough coming right out of the gate this morning but if prayer in your life is dismal, joyless, weak or just missing entirely, the problem is not with God, it’s with you and a poorly formed and misguided theology. Your lack of prayer in your life is due to you not knowing who God is and growing in your understanding of his beauty and worth and glory.

And so, a deepening grasp of the Scriptures will begin to have a reforming influence in our prayer life. And so, our goal this morning from our text is to learn from the Scriptures, and from the apostle Paul how to pray.

Now, Paul’s prayer here is not comprehensive. Learning to pray involves us studying out the Scriptures in their entirety.

As D.A. Carson says, “Learn to argue in prayer with Moses, to sing with David, to be farsighted and expansive with Solomon… Think through what it means to pray the prayer taught us by the Lord Jesus himself. Learn to pray with Paul.”[1]

Studying and learning from the Scriptures will shape our prayers, inform our prayers, remove selfishness from our prayers. We learn what to pray for, how to approach God and how to see ourselves rightly in contrast to his glory and majesty.

How often do the petitions of our prayers center around our own physical needs or wants? Or how often do they center around our desire for prosperity and comfort in this life? Again, remember that our theology will shape our prayer life and so if God is seen more as a genie in a bottle who exists to meet our needs and make our lives comfortable, then prayer is going to focus more around our comfort and our wants.

When studying out the prayer life of Paul, do we see him praying for comfort? In way, yes, but not how we might think or pray ourselves. Paul would pray for peace and comfort and joy that is found in Christ even in the midst of suffering. Comfort to him was not ultimately found in the removal of suffering but rather a fuller resting in the grace and presence of Christ through suffering.

What we may discover when we look and compare our lives against the backdrop of Scripture is maybe how much our own culture, our own flesh and poor theology have shaped how we pray. And so, let’s study out this prayer of Paul’s this morning. Let’s confess where we need to confess, repent when we need to repent, grow where we need to grow. Let’s learn together and be transformed by truth for our good and God’s glory.

Take a look at verse 9 again.

Colossians 1:9a, And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you.

Remember, Paul had not personally met the believers of this church. He didn’t know them like he knew believers of other churches that he had personally had a part in building up the church. And yet, that didn’t stop him from praying personally for these brothers and sisters.

And so, what can we learn here?

Paul’s prayers were kingdom minded.

What mattered most to him was the expansion of God’s kingdom to every part of the earth. He wasn’t concerned about his name being spread, about his fame, about his ministry philosophy being adopted. He was kingdom minded. His focus was the name of Christ being spread, gospel proclamation to the ends of the earth.

So, let me ask you. How expansive is your circle of prayer? You know what I mean? We’ll pray for ourselves, for our family, our close friends, our church family, but does it stop there? Who are you praying for that you’ve never personally met?

Let me encourage you to consider praying for other churches in the Bloomington/Normal area that are proclaiming the gospel. Make plans to join us at our next night of prayer in May. Lord willing, if the weather is good we’ll be just taking a walk around our neighborhood here praying for our neighbors and our community.

Starting next month, April 13-May 12, the month of Ramadan begins in the Muslim world. Ramadan is a month set aside in the Muslim calendar where they fast from food, drink and other pleasures in order for them to try and earn merit with Allah. It’s actually very similar to what the Colossians were being faced with in chapter 2 with asceticism – the denial of earthly pleasures in order to attain spiritual enlightenment.

Let me encourage you to set aside April 13-May 12 to pray for those that are enslaved in Islam. Pray that they would be set free by the grace of God who through Jesus has earned their acceptance before God through the cross.

(Bookstore – 30 day prayer guide for Muslim people – Operation World)

Expanding our circle of prayer influence keeps us from becoming introverted, self-focused and even self-centered. It’s enlarges our vision and view of the world and pushes us to become more kingdom minded as we desire to see the name of Christ spread to the uttermost parts of the earth.

We also learn here that,

Paul’s prayers were constant.

You see in verse 9 as well that he says, “We have not ceased to prayer for you.”

This doesn’t mean that Paul was in a constant state of mystical experience. What it does mean is that Paul structured his days to focus on prayer. It was a discipline in his life.

Prayer for him wasn’t just something he did when he happened to remember. It part of his day, part of his life, just as common to him as us scheduling lunch in the middle of our days. It’s a part of our rhythm. Prayer was a part of Paul’s rhythm during his day.

But we also see that there was a significance in the need for continual prayer on behalf of the Colossian church. Did you catch that in verse 9? We have not “ceased” or “stopped” praying for you on your behalf.

I don’t want us to miss this. There are certain things in our lives that need continual asking for. D.A. Carson once again says, “Prayer is God’s appointed means for appropriating the blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus. Many of the best of those blessings we need again and again, and so we must constantly ask – like the child brought up in a home stamped with courtesy, where the means of obtaining things, even necessary things, is a respectful request.”

There are certain things in our lives that we need again and again as believers and Paul understood this not only for himself but was moved with compassion to petition God on the behalf of others.

And so, this begs the question, what are our continual needs?

From this text I see two main requests that Paul makes before God on behalf of others.

Request #1 – A continual filling of knowledge and understanding of God’s will.

See this in the last half of verse 9.

Colossians 1:9b, Asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

If there’s one thing we need the faucet to be turned on and never shut off, it’s this: that we would continually be filled with a knowledge of who God is and his will for our lives.

In order to walk wisely in this world, we need proper knowledge of who God is. Proverbs 1:7 says “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

And so, where does knowledge and wisdom begin? By fearing the Lord. Meaning, there is a proper understanding of his character. He is holy and we are not. He is God and we are not. He alone is worthy of worship and we are not.

We need to this constant reminder of the glory and goodness and greatness of God. We need to again and again be filled with the knowledge of his glory and his splendor. All the things we’re tempted to boast in or pursue become increasingly weakened the more our gaze is fixed upon the majesty of God.

You know, a bologna sandwich to a kid tastes okay and they might even like it until they have their first taste of a filet. And then, that bologna sandwich just doesn’t seem as tempting anymore.

It was C.S. Lewis who once said that “We’re far too easily pleased.” And what he meant was that we’re far too easily persuaded to find joy and pleasure in the things of this world rather than in God himself. All the things of this world were only meant to point us to the one true God. Our affections weren’t meant to terminate on the things of the world, our affections are meant to terminate on God himself.

And so, this is why we need a continual filling of the knowledge of God. The more we gaze upon him, the more we rightly see life, and our lives as it was meant to be lived.

But not only do we need to be filled with the knowledge of who God is, but we must also continually be filled Paul says with the knowledge of his will.

Now, this is the big question so many ask: “What is the will of God?” And we often think of this question as looking for answers regarding life decisions, “Who should I marry?” “Should we have kids?” “Should I take this job?” “Should we move here?”

Now, I don’t want to diminish these important questions in our lives and we should seek to walk in wisdom in making decisions, but when Scripture refers to understanding the will of God, it’s not written in such a way that makes finding God’s will for our lives mysterious. Scripture is actually really clear about what God’s will for our lives is and it’s our responsibility, by the grace of God and power of the Spirit to do it.

Psalm 143:10, Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!

Notice how the Psalmist is asking God to teach him how to discover God’s will, but to do it. Which means, doing the will of God means walking in obedience to how He’s called us to live. Which is why Paul prays for a continual filling of that knowledge.

So, let me give you a few.

Romans 12:2, 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.

God’s will is that through the power of the gospel we are being transformed and brought into alignment with godly character and right thinking.

Ephesians 5:15-17, Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

And so, in the midst of a foolish world, believers are to live wisely, making the best use of the time. Seeking opportunities to love and care for others, and to live selflessly.

1 Thessalonians 4:3, For this is the will of God, your sanctification.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

God has not hidden His will from us. But it’s our responsibility to learn what it is and then by God’s grace, do it.

The purpose behind this request is spelled out in verse 10.

Colossians 1:10, 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.

I think the simplest way to understand what Paul’s saying here is in the context of a parent teaching their child how to do right and then their kids actually applying it and doing it.

I’m working pretty hard with my son right now on how boys are supposed to treat girls. We’re not trying at this point to understand all the complexities of the female mind, I don’t think I could teach him that anyway. But right now, if you were to ask him how boys are supposed to treat girls, he hopefully would say, they’re to protect them. Put their needs first before his.

Now it’s one thing for him to be able to recite that, it’s a whole other level for him to actually apply it. He has plenty of opportunities with his sister to apply this and there’s many times when he doesn’t but in those moments where he does, I take great delight in him.

A year ago, a friend of ours texted us that they witnessed Maddox holding the doors going into school for their daughter and others that were coming behind him. And I rejoiced in that because he was applying knowledge to his life.

When he falls short, my love for him is not diminished. I still love him fully. But when he does what’s right, I delight in that.

God’s love for us is not diminished when we fall short. But he delights when we take knowledge of what is right and do it.

That’s what Paul’s getting at here. We’re not only after knowledge, we’re after transformation and application to our lives. This is what it means to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. We’re displaying with our lives and actions that we truly belong to Him.

We’re bearing fruit. It means, there’s life to us and we’re pursuing greater knowledge and intimacy with our God.

Request #2 – Strengthened by God’s power.

Verse 11,

Colossians 1:11, May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.

Is anyone just tired? You know what I mean? I’m not talking about physicall exhaustion. I’m talking about mentally, emotionally, spiritually tired.

The brokenness of this world can be exhausting. Just skimming through the daily headlines will make you want to crawl into bed and cover your head with the sheets. There’s a lot of pain in the world and as Christ-followers, it’s not any easier, it’s much harder and it’s only going to get harder. We need to be prepared for that.

And so, Paul prays continually that strength would be found in God. This is a request we continually need to seek again and again for ourselves and others.

And the purpose behind this request is that we would endure hardship patiently with joy. Perseverance is actually evidence that we belong to God and have been changed by Him. And so, our resting, our strength, our endurance comes through abiding in Christ who is our eternal hope.

You see, the reason why Christians can walk in joyful hope and endurance is because our future is held secure through Christ.

Colossians 1:12-14, 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.

What was true for the Colossians then is true for us now. Nothing has changed because Christ has not changed. The believers in the Colossian church were held secure eternally because their faith and hope for salvation was in Jesus alone.

It was through Jesus that they were transferred out of the domain or dominion of darkness and into the kingdom of the Son. It was through Jesus that they were redeemed and forgiven through no work of their own but through the life, death and resurrection of Christ.

We need to be reminded of this glorious truth and it’s because of this truth that we can patiently endure hardship with joy because there’s coming a day when all that is wrong with the world will come undone and we will forever live with God in the kingdom of the Son.

And so, until that day, we seek by God’s grace to resemble that kingdom in how we live with one another and how we care for others in selfless ways that replicate the selflessness of Christ. God help us to grow in this knowledge and apply it to our lives.

(Communion)

[1] D.A. Carson, Praying with Paul (Baker Publishing Group, 2014), 76.