Kingdom Prayer

‘Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.’ Colossians 4:2-3

In this final chapter of his letter to the church at Colossae, Paul returns to the central matter of prayer. In chapters two and three he has addressed concerns about the plurality of teaching and practices that had distracted and confused the Colossian Christians, giving helpful practical teaching about holiness, lifestyle choices and Christian households, as well as foundational truth about our new life in Christ.
 
Paul is a mighty man of prayer! Throughout his epistles we gain insights into his prayer life. It is obvious that he believes prayer to be essential, effective and hard work. He asks the Colossians to pray for him and his team. Even during his imprisonment, God used Paul to spread the gospel and Paul covets the opening up of opportunities that the prayers of the saints will effect.
 
The two reminders Paul gives in verse two are that we should stay alert and be thankful. When we pray, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to keep us alert, remembering the disciples who with Jesus at the Transfiguration, ’When they were fully awake they saw his glory’ Luke 9:32. And let’s make sure we are thankful! A heavy heart or preoccupation with on our own situation are soon lifted when we fix our eyes on Jesus and start to thank him.

Paul knows that prayer is also hard work! Let’s consider some of the verbs he uses when writing about prayer:

          - struggling, Colossians 1;
          - wrestling, Ephesians 6;
          - needing to wear full armour, Ephesians 6;
          - being in the pains of childbirth, Galatians 4:19;
          -  waging war and pulling down strongholds 2 Cor. 10;
          - groaning, Romans 8.

But let’s not be put off! Prayer is the activity of the Holy Spirit through us. We are joining the company of heaven as we enter the realm of prayer. We are praying the Word of God, through the power of the Spirit in the presence of Jesus - in other words, we are catching the heart of heaven. Jesus Himself intercedes for us; the Holy Spirit helps us and prays through us; and our prayers are used in bringing God’s Kingdom on earth.  (See Romans 8:26-34 and Hebrews 7:25; Revelation 5:8 and 8:1-5.)

Whether we are praying with others or on our own, the Holy Spirit is there with encouragement, truth, revelation, warnings and more. As we catch the heartbeat of heaven, we begin to feel both the sorrow and the joy that are in God’s heart over the world and its people. In June 2018, when he was in Wolverhampton for Ablaze, the Argentinian revival leader Carlos Anacondia spoke to the prayer teams. He described a vision of the globe, shaped as a heart, but heaving with deep sobs. He told us it had changed his understanding of intercession, saying “God needs your tears”.
 
Even as we learn to echo the pain in God’s heart, we can always pray with invincible hope. “…hope does not disappoint us because the Holy Spirit has been poured out in our hearts.”  Romans 5.5. Jesus himself declares, “Take heart, I have overcome the world." John 16.33

- Catherine Horton

Inward prayer:  Lord God, I want to live a life of prayer.  Please hep me to be watchful and alert, responsive to all you show me; to focus on you and to be thankful in all circumstances.

Outward prayer: Heavenly Father, this is your world.  We cry “Your Kingdom come!”  We trust you will open doors as we pray for the salvation of our families, neighbourhoods and the nations.