June 30, 2023
Paul did everything by prayer. Not some things or most things. The secret of his power and usefulness was that he was a man of such clear understanding and humility who knew he must pray without ceasing—prayer with no intermission.
He knew the battle was not against flesh and blood but that it was raging on all sides with every kind of demonic power, powers that can only be overcome by a man clothed in God’s armor and strength and praying at all times in the spirit (Ephesians 6:10-20). It was (and is) a battle for the souls of men and women, boys and girls, to take their every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
And so, listen to his prayer this morning. A great prayer to memorize and pray for your family, friends, church, and everyone you know.
… that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:2-3)
Spend time praying this over those you love this morning. Pray every sentence and thought. Prayer works, and prayer is what brings God into the equation. What a tragedy if those under our care missed the intervention of God because of our prayerlessness, for there are some things that God plans to do through prayer that He will do no other way.
Pray for their encouragement. Pray that they will be encased in the love of God and that it will surround and knit them together with God’s family. Pray that God will grant them the assurance that comes from a full understanding of God and His ways and that they will experientially encounter and know Christ … for all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Him.
One of my dearest friends got the news this morning that his brother had died in his sleep. It is Paul’s prayer that I’m praying over them all this morning. That they will gain understanding that will protect them from the lies of the enemy that God is not a good God. And that they will experience Christ deeply, fully, and comfortingly, for everything flows from the presence of the Lord.
He is precisely what we need in moments of our most profound need. God has made me aware of their needs this morning, and I (and you) have the privilege of interceding on their behalf. Of helping to bring God into the equation, for there is no better help.
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