Prayers of Paul 07

All of us want to please God. But did you know that the Bible tells us exactly how to please Him? Colossians 1:9-12 says…
9For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

Before doing anything, we first need to know God’s will. Paul prays that the Colossian believers may not only know His will, but that they will “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Paul wants his readers to be complete in their knowledge and understanding of God’s will for them. There’s no room for doubt or uncertainty when one is filled with this knowledge.

Once they’ve fully understood God’s will, Paul then wants his readers to walk appropriately in it. Paul says that this will not only be pleasing to God, but that it will fully please Him. Stop and think about that for a moment. We don’t have to do anything to earn God’s love, but we can do something to make Him fully pleased with us! Paul goes on to pray about three elements that must be present in order for us to fully please God.

First, Paul prays that his readers may please God by “being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” It’s not enough for us to know God’s will. We have to do it. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” And when we walk in the works that God has prepared for us, He will make sure we are fruitful. Part of God’s will for us is to know Him more and more. In order to do this we MUST read and study the Bible. There is no adequate substitute for regular, personal delving into God’s Word.

Second, Paul prays that his readers may please God by being “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.” God’s strength is available to all believers. So why don’t all believers walk in His strength? The answer is that many believers are so often too busy trying to walk in their own strength. It’s a subtle trap. As long as everything is going well, we can be fruitful in what we are doing without much reliance on God. But the real test comes in bad times. Then, only if we have trained ourselves to rely on God’s limitless strength, will we be able to have the patience and longsuffering to remain fruitful even during the most intense trials.

Finally, Paul prays that his readers may please God by “giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” All believers have received an inheritance from the Father—eternal life. We benefit from this inheritance when we walk “in the light.” In the light we can see the good works that He has prepared for us; we can see Him and get to know Him more; and we can see His presence and power in the midst of our trails. This enables us to be thankful in the good as well as the bad.

Let’s pray for the following…
That we will be filled with the knowledge of His will for our lives.
That we will be fruitful in the works He has prepared for us.
For every opportunity we have to know Him more.
That we will be strong in Him, not try to cope in our own strength.
And finally, let’s give Him thanks for all that we have received from Him.