On Prayer – Colossians 4:2-7
Paul believed that prayer was central to living our new kingdom lives in the world; as citizens of this new Kingdom, it is essential that we understand what prayer is, why we pray, and how we pray.
Despite the decline of Christianity in the West, the practice of prayer still remains a prevalent custom in Western culture
Prayer is present in many of our political proceedings.
Prayer is present in our movies.
Prayer is present in our songs.
Similarly, Christians seem to misunderstand the purpose of prayer.
Prayer as a form of self-therapy.
Prayer as a form of payment.
Prayer as an accessory to the clothes of spiritual life..
The true function of prayer is communion and collaboration with God.
Summary of Colossians
This letter is written to a young church: The Apostle Paul writes this letter from prison to a young church in the city of Colossae that they may grow in “maturity to Christ” (1:28), despite the cultural pressures that they were experiencing.
Christ began a new Kingdom: The foundation for resisting cultural pressure is recognizing we have been saved from ourselves and are now citizens of a new Kingdom– established in Christ. (1:13;1:15-20;3:1)
Spiritual maturity is learning to live in that new Kingdom: Paul believes that learning to live in the Kingdom of Jesus transforms every aspect of our lives.
Paul instructs the Colossian people that to live this new kingdom life in the world, you have to root yourself in prayer.
“2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” – Colossians 4:2-6
“Prayer, devote yourself to it.”– Marianne Meye Thompson
Paul’s big idea and practical admonishment to the Colossian people is this: to live this new kingdom life in the world, you must be devoted to prayer.
1. What is prayer?
Prayer is communion and collaboration with God.
“the son can do nothing of his own accord but only what he sees the father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the son does likewise.” – John 5:19
“The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his work. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” – John 14:10-11
“you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
“for we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.” – 1 Corinthians 3:9
“Prayer is talking with God about what we are thinking and doing together; it is co-laboring with God to accomplish the good purposes of his kingdom. – Dallas Willard
2. Why do we pray?
To understand why we pray, we need to understand our identity as co-laborers of Christ.
“26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”– Genesis 1:26-28
God’s original intent was for free, intelligent, human beings to collaborate with him on running the world.
Being that God built freedom into human nature and because humanity willingly made and continues to make poor choices, the world has gone horribly wrong.
7-8 God spoke to Moses, “Go! Get down there! Your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt have fallen to pieces. In no time at all they’ve turned away from the way I commanded them: They made a molten calf and worshiped it. They’ve sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are the gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt!’”
9-10 God said to Moses, “I look at this people—oh! what a stubborn, hard-headed people! Let me alone now, give my anger free reign to burst into flames and incinerate them. But I’ll make a great nation out of you.”
11-13 Moses tried to calm his God down. He said, “Why, God, would you lose your temper with your people? Why, you brought them out of Egypt in a tremendous demonstration of power and strength. Why let the Egyptians say, ‘He had it in for them—he brought them out so he could kill them in the mountains, wipe them right off the face of the Earth.’ Stop your anger. Think twice about bringing evil against your people! Think of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants to whom you gave your word, telling them ‘I will give you many children, as many as the stars in the sky, and I’ll give this land to your children as their land forever.’” – Exodus 32:7-13 (The Message Paraphrase)
“God isn’t the unmoved mover of Aristotle and Greek philosophy. He is the relational, dynamic, back and forth, arguer, and relenter with Moses.” –John Mark Comer
9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.… 13 If you… know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” – Luke 11:9-13
Prayer is a communal collaboration whereby we join with God to put the world to rights.
“We are not merely passive set pieces in a prearranged cosmic drama but we are active participants with God in the writing, directing, design, and action that unfolds. Prayer therefore is much more than asking God for this or that outcome. It is drawing into communion with him and there taking up our privileged role as his people. In prayer, we are invited to join him in directing the course of the world.” –Skye Jethani
3. How do we pray?
Simply see God throughout your day: Paul instructs us in v. 2 by saying- prayer- be devoted to it.
Commit to praying for one person this week: Paul believed that prayer was a collaboration with God and that it did make a difference. He invites the Colossian people to pray for him as he engaged the world revealing the kingdom of Jesus and he encourages the Colossians to do the same.
