By Bob Bunn
I’ll be honest: I struggle with prayer. While other disciplines come more naturally, prayer is harder for me most of the time. There are two exceptions—first, I tend to talk with God spontaneously. Instead of praying at set times each day, I have ongoing conversations with Him. Second, I absolutely take time for someone who asks me to pray for them. In fact, I’ll usually stop what I’m doing and pray with them at that moment, as soon as they ask. That way, they can know that I’m keeping my promise to them. Still, I know prayer is an area where I need to grow.
As Paul closed his letter, he challenged his audience to continue learning to pray. While he had never met most of them face to face, he did feel a special bond with them and wanted them to grow in both their understanding of Jesus and their practical application of His teachings.
First, he told them to pray so they could stay alert (Colossians 4:2). In a culture that worshiped idols and belittled Christianity, the Colossians would experience a lot of pressure to compromise their faith. Paul reminded them that a devotion to prayer would equip them to stand strong in the face of those temptations.
Next, he also asked them to pray for him (vv.3–4). While Paul was confident in his personal walk with Christ, he was living under house arrest in Rome. His freedom was limited, so he needed wisdom to identify ministry opportunities and courage to make the most of those moments. He coveted the prayers of the Colossians on his behalf.
For Paul, prayer spelled the difference between faithfulness and frustration in the Christian life. It also provided the fuel for the engine of his ministry. In his heart and mind, it was impossible to overstate the importance of prayer. It wasn’t just a spiritual discipline box to check off or a time of sharing a personal “wish list” to God. It’s a non-negotiable, vital, life-giving element of our walk with Christ each day.
Maybe you’re comfortable in navigating prayer already. If so, that’s awesome. Keep it up. But if you struggle with prayer like me, don’t give up hope. Let’s pray for ourselves and for those around us, making our connections with God a priority as we seek to know Him better and to follow Him more closely.
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