How Should We Pray?
“My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.” Colossians 2:2-4
The way we pray matters. What we pray matters. The apostle Paul understood that and wrote encouragement to the Colossians so they would stay focused on what would protect and grow their faith.
When we pray for our sons and daughters, we pray for their health and well-being. We pray for safety and provision. But how often do we pray for their growth and discernment? Do we pray for the protection of their mind and for a deepening of their knowledge and understanding? Those are things we cannot see, but which have significant impact on the spiritual health of the believer.
Scripture tells us that the mind is the deceiver's biggest battleground. If Satan can capture our thoughts, the rest will follow.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12
Satan hates that we have redemption and eternal life in Jesus Christ. He hates our Savior. He hates light. He hates truth. He wants to lure believers to dwell in darkness and in ignorance of Who Christ is, what He has done and in misunderstanding of truth. Do you see how he twists things? What is good is deemed evil and what is evil is celebrated (isaiah 5:20).
So how can we pray more effectively for our sons and daughters? How can we begin to fight for their spiritual protection and growth? We can start by gaining a better understanding of Scripture and then praying those very words on their behalf. Scripture is powerful and effective and it can accomplish more than our minds can comprehend.
Let’s look at what Paul is praying for the Colossians.
He prays they would be encouraged in heart:
Paul knew the value of being in fellowship with other believers. The Greek word for ‘encouraged’ is parakaleo and it means to come alongside another, to comfort, exhort, pray for another (1). The Holy Spirit is called the ‘paraklete’ and is our supporter and comforter (John 14:26). And so believers have that role for one another- to build each other up and provide encouragement. Pray for fellowship with other believers.
He instructs them that true encouragement must be united, or knit together in love- agape.
The term ‘knit together’ is the Greek word symbibazo and it means to “to join together, unite or knit together in affection”(2). When we truly care for one another we want the best for each other. It’s hard to find deep connections with someone for whom you don’t get along or with whom you have nothing in common. But believers have faith in Christ in common- God has made us brothers and sisters in Christ! We are family and we are driven together by the love of God. That connection sustains and encourages us as we continue our walk of faith. Pray for authentic love among believers.
He longs for them to have full riches of complete understanding:
It’s important that we pray that our sons and daughters have assurance that their faith in Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life and confidence that there is no other belief system, path, or alternate ‘wisdom’ that can bring redemption and eternal life.
The Greek word plerophoria is the word used for understanding and it means “full assurance and the most certain confidence (3). Let’s pray that our sons and daughters have confidence in their understanding of Scripture and in their faith and conviction that Jesus is Lord.
Paul stresses that the Colossians would know Christ- the Source of all wisdom and knowledge.
We don’t want our sons and daughters to just know about Christ, we want them to KNOW Him. We want them to experience Him in their life. We want them to pursue a personal relationship with Him so that they will comprehend the riches of wisdom and knowledge that are found in Him. We don’t want them to just have knowledge. Even Satan has knowledge, but he is doomed. Even demons believe and shudder at the Truth of Jesus. No, we want our sons and daughters to have true knowledge. There is a difference in the original language. Knowledge is the word gnosis and it means intelligence and understanding(4). But true knowledge is the word epignosis and it means precise and correct knowledge(5). It means one is believing and understanding what is proven to be true, correct, and in line with evidence. It is knowledge that changes how someone lives.
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11
Finally, pray for protection against deception.
Pray that our sons and daughters would have deep understanding and knowledge of Scripture and their faithful walk with Christ and fellowship with believers would guard them against deception. There is much out there that sounds good but is founded in lies. There are people who have knowledge of Scripture (gnosis) without the epignosis of faith in Jesus and the teaching and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The messaging that our sons and daughters are encountering daily would try to sway them to compromise their faith, lower their standards, be accepting of sin and open-minded to other ‘pathways’ to God. In the last days the deception will be so strong that, if possible, even the elect would be deceived (Matthew 24:24). Friends, we are there. The presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives and a correct knowledge of Jesus is the protection they need.
The enemy wants our sons and daughters. There is no question about that. We need to pray that they would be strong in their faith, solid in their understanding of Scripture, and rooted in fellowship with other believers. We are in a war- be on guard and use the armor of God to fight against the enemy.
“Father, I pray for (name) today. Build them up in their faith and knowledge of Jesus. Sanctify them by Your truth- Your Word is Truth (John 17:17). Lead them into a vibrant fellowship with other believers that is grounded in correct truth and solid teaching. Lord, they NEED You, though they may not always recognize that. I pray that You would open their eyes and hearts to the full riches of complete understanding. Keep them from sin. Guard them from compromise. Help them to stand steadfast in their faith. Guide them into Your truth and don’t let them walk away from it. Lord, we are in dark days and at some point soon, we may all have to stand boldly in the face of persecution- give us strength and conviction, Lord. Build up the family of believers so that we would encourage one another in love and faithfulness, In Jesus’s name I pray, amen.”
Pray without ceasing.
G3870 - parakaleō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3870/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G4822 - symbibazō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4822/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G4136 - plērophoria - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4136/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G1108 - gnōsis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1108/kjv/tr/0-1/
G1922 - epignōsis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1922/niv/mgnt/0-1/
The Ultimate Desire
Fellowship with God is the core desire that we were designed to experience and pursue. It is the deepest longing and need we will ever know-whether or not we choose to acknowledge that fact. We experience this longing because God has set eternity in the hearts of men (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and that will always stir a deep desire for something more than this world can give us…it’s the desire for more of Him, more of His Presence and more of His peace.
But that we recognize it as a longing for God isn’t guaranteed. Too often we strive to fill that longing with inadequate substitutes that cannot satisfy our hearts, our souls, and we struggle because of it. We wrestle with restlessness. We wander trying to find our purpose. We pursue the ‘next thing’ assuring ourselves that will be the answer. We continue to pursue temporal things to fill that God-desire in us, Even believers are duped into the deception of the futile pursuit of satisfaction by other means.
Before we came to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, “we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world” Galatians 4:3. But when we confessed with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believed in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we moved from eternal death to eternal life (Romans 10:9). And in that confession and belief, something in our heart, mind, and spirit changed. God placed His Spirit in us. “Because you are His sons, God sent the Spirit of His son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father” Galatians 4:6. And we began a relationship with God, unlike any we knew or experienced before. We began to experience the fulfillment of that longing that was set in our hearts from the time God created us.
“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb” Psalm 139:13.
God designed us to desire a relationship with Him. Once we realize nothing else fills us and completes us like Jesus can and does, we are compelled to pursue more of Him. But if we turn back and pursue other means to fill that longing, our spirit still cries out for our Abba Father. We cannot run from it.
The world tells us to pursue what will fill us and make us happy. The job. The relationship. The ‘things’. Renovate, redecorate, relocate. Move up, move out, move on. But what the world offers will never fulfill that eternal longing, because the world doesn’t possess the means, power, and resources to fill what only God can. “For this world in its present form is passing away” 1 Corinthians 7:29.
This is Satan’s biggest lie- that we can satisfy the longing of our hearts with the things of this world- lesser things, things that are not God. And when we pursue that, we are dissatisfied, frustrated, and disillusioned. The result is that we often turn and rail at God because we are unhappy, lost, hurting, and unfulfilled. We blame Him for our discontent when we’ve tried to soothe it with everything but Him.
HE is all we need. ALL we need. Any attempt to fill ourselves with anything else will always result in frustration and emptiness.
“The Lord knows the thoughts of man; He knows that they are futile” Psalm 94:11.
So, how can we fulfill that desire? Read Colossians 1: 9-12
“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 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, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 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.”
Take Action:
Be filled with the knowledge of His will- study His word and get to know it. The more we read Scripture, the more it sinks deeply into our heart, soul, and mind. We must allow our spirit to run freely in the environment it was created to- in the Presence of the Most High God. Our spirit cannot thrive when it’s seeking life from a source that is spiritually malnourished or empty of the things of God.
Cultivate spiritual wisdom. This comes when we spend consistent time in God’s word (see #1) and we begin to grow ‘smart’ in the things of Scripture. Our heart and head align in the context of the wisdom of God because we are saturating our mind with truth.
Desire and pursue understanding. The word ‘understanding’ in Greek is ‘synesis’ and it means “a mental putting together” (1). In other words, when we understand, we begin to perceive and interpret correctly; we connect the precepts, truths, and council of Scripture and understand how God reveals Himself through it. We begin to see how Scripture supports itself. God’s word never returns void (Isaiah 55:11).
Live a life worthy of the Lord. We have to make the conscious choice to put ourselves aside and live for Him. If we are forever pursuing our own happiness, we will be exhausted in the pursuit- it’s a perpetual cycle that goes nowhere and achieves nothing of eternal satisfaction. We will continue to be dissatisfied, disillusioned and unfulfilled. We must seek Him. “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29
“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:6
Who or what are we allowing to govern our mind? Pursue life. Pursue Peace. Pursue Jesus. Sit at His feet. Let Him speak into your soul. Live for Him and allow Him to fill that which is lacking in you. You will know a deep satisfaction and a fellowship like no other. You will be filled.
”Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.”Psalm 73:25-26
Take time in prayer that God would fill you with a desire for more of Him and would guide you in pursuit of that relationship. Then, pray for others to do the same. Pray for your family, your sons and daughters. Pray for your loved ones. Pray for your church and the global church at large. Pray for those in ministry. Satan wants nothing more than to have God’s people seeking that which will not satisfy and living in frustration because God isn’t fulfilling their misdirected desires.
Prayer is never pointless and it brings us to the Throne of the One who can effect change and bring all things under His Lordship where we can delight in fellowship with the One who made us.
Pray without ceasing.
G4907 - synesis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4907/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G2556 - kakos - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2556/niv/mgnt/0-1/