Colossians 1:9
~15 min read
💭 Consider this: Who are the people in your life that are facing trials? Have you prayed for them? Who are the people in your life that seem to be doing well? Have you prayed for them too?
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for today's message is taken from Colossians 1: 9, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Most people understand the importance of prayers, referring to the believers. We need to pray for ourselves, the church, and the gospel work—for the circumstances, situations, trials and troubles we face, and for the people around us. Not only for the people we know, but even for people whom we have never met before. One amazing thing about prayers is that we can minister to the spiritual well-being of other believers and play a role in their spiritual growth without ever meeting them or coming into physical contact with them.
Like in the case of the apostle Paul, who had never been to the city of Colosse, nor had he visited the believers there. He heard about the wonderful testimonies of the Colossians from Epaphras, who was apparently the pastor of the Colossian church. At the moment he received the good report, he said: "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you." Oftentimes we only pray for those people who are struggling, facing difficulties, or fallen into sin. And we tend to neglect to pray for those people who are doing well. Our attitude is as if it seems unnecessary to pray for them. After all, they are doing well. But the truth of the matter is that we must pray for everyone.
We must remember that when the believers are doing well and are growing spiritually, who is most unhappy? The devil. One theologian rightly said, ‘The enemy reserves his strongest opposition for those who have the most potential for advancing God's work in the world.’ In other words, his target is aimed at those believers who are doing well. The title of our message is: The Need for Prayers.
I. The Frequency
Our first point is ‘The Frequency’ of the prayer. Let us begin with the phrase "do not cease to pray for you." In other words, we have not stopped praying for you. This is in line with the teaching in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, where Paul commanded the Thessalonians, "Pray without ceasing." We are to pray without ceasing, whether privately or publicly, whether devotionally or corporately—in our own quiet time, in a prayer meeting, or in a worship setting like this.
Prayer is extremely important because, firstly, it is necessary for the salvation of souls. No man or woman should expect to be saved if he or she does not pray. We all believe that salvation is by grace through faith, right? We ought to preach, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.’ But do you realise that nowhere in the Bible is it stated that a man can have salvation without asking for it?
No man can receive the pardon of his sins unless he first cries out to God and prays, ‘Lord, forgive me of my sins.’ No one can do it for you. Each one has to repent for himself. Each one has to submit to Christ for himself. Each one has to come before God and pray. You must do it for yourself, for nobody can do it for you.
Prayer is important because it is the means by which we communicate with God and to know him intimately. In this world, we will know nothing about the people around us—they are total strangers to us—unless we communicate and speak with them. A husband who does not communicate with his wife—the relationship will never be close. Likewise, we may know about God. We may know wonderful doctrines about him. But we may not know him unless we speak to him.
Prayer is important because God has commanded us to do so. Some people may question, ‘If God knows all things, if he knows all our needs and desires, and if he loves us with an everlasting love, then why should we pray?’ Well, prayer is God's appointed means whereby we receive what we ask from him.
Throughout the Bible, we see this imperative command to pray. God never commanded us to sing without ceasing, or preach without ceasing, or give or work without ceasing—but he commanded us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). "We do not cease to pray for you" means always, at all times, at every opportunity, or in every season. You and I must live each day of our lives with this awareness that God answers prayers. Hebrews 11:6 says, God "is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him".
When do people often pray? Most people will pray in the church. They will give thanks before eating a meal. But other than that, the only time they pray is when things go bad for them. I suppose there's hardly anyone who does not pray in times of trouble. We must pray in difficult times. And it may be true that God allows those situations into our lives so that we will pray. But "we do not cease to pray for ourselves and others" means in all the situations of life—they must draw forth prayers from us.
If we are happy, we express our happiness to God. If we are afflicted, we commit our afflictions to him. When we experience something good and wonderful, we give thanks to God. When we meet someone who does not know Jesus Christ, we pray for God to draw that person to Himself and to use us to be faithful instruments. There should be no situation in life that God will not hear from us.
If you have a child and he only communicates with you when he needs your help—’Daddy, Mummy, I need your help. I need your money.’—that would be most sad, right? How much more a child of God, bought by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and only looks to God like an ATM machine. God forbids.
Paul said, ‘Since the day we received the news about you, we have not stopped praying for you.’ Now, this also teaches us about persevering in our prayers. If God has commanded us to persevere in our prayers, that means He has His sovereign purpose in our persistence.
I love the testimony of George Müller. I believe I've shared this before, but I'll do it again. He was well known for his love for orphans. It has been said that he had cared for more than 10,000 orphans in his lifetime. He was also known as a man of prayer. Once George Müller prayed for the salvation of his two friends. For 50 years, he prayed that those two men would be converted. One day someone asked him why he was still praying after such a long time. George Müller replied, ‘Do you think God would have kept me praying for such a long time if He did not intend to save them?’ Both of them were converted—one shortly before George Müller died, and the other after his death.
Dear friend, perhaps you have always been praying for the salvation of your unbelieving loved ones, and they have been rejecting the gospel. You are discouraged and disheartened. Please do not give up, but press on, and do not cease to pray for them. Remember, God has His sovereign purpose for your persistence.
II. The Desire
Our second point is ‘The Desire’ to pray. Look at the next phrase: "and to desire." Paul’s prayer for the Colossians was driven by this desire in his heart. If I may put it this way, the reason why he was always praying for them without ceasing was because of this desire he had for them in his heart.
This desire consists of two important elements. We must be conscious of God, and we must be conscious of the people. Firstly, ‘we are conscious of God’—means we view everything in life in relation to Him. He is in control of everything. When we hear something bad happen to someone, we immediately respond by praying for God to intervene in that particular situation. When we hear something good happen to someone, we immediately respond by praising and giving thanks to God for His love, grace, and mercy. Like the way Paul heard about the Colossians, he immediately responded by praying to God and desiring something that would happen in their lives to take them to the next level of spiritual growth.
Secondly, ‘we are conscious of the people’ means we are aware of their needs. We cannot pray effectively for the people unless we are aware of their needs. Yesterday night, I received a message from one of our church members that his mother-in-law has undergone a successful major surgery. If I am not aware of that piece of information, I would still be praying for God to provide good surgeons for the operation to take place, for the mother's heart to be prepared to go for the major surgery. I will be praying for something that has already taken place. My prayer will be ineffective in the sense that I will not be praying according to the need.
When these two elements come together—we are conscious of God's presence and we are conscious of the people's needs—then we will be able to pray effectively by desiring what is best for them according to the will of God revealed to us in His word. So, whenever we hear some information, or receive some news or a prayer item, we must be conscious of God and be conscious of the people's needs, and then we desire what is best for them.
So when Paul heard about the Colossians' faith, love and hope—which was a wonderful testimony—he was made aware of their present situation. And he knew what was the next thing they needed. They must not stop there in their spiritual growth as if they have arrived. We will never arrive until we reach heaven. They must continue to grow.
III. The Content
And this brings us to our third point: ‘The Content’ or focal point of the prayer. Paul said in the last part of verse 9, "That ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding."
To be ‘filled’ means to be totally and completely controlled. Our life is the result of the thinking, attitude, actions, behaviour, responses and decisions we make. In order for us to live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to God, we must live a totally controlled life according to the will of God.
And how can we know the will of God? Well, God has revealed His will through His word. Some people say it is so difficult to understand the will of God, and they talk as if the will of God is so mystical, and God is unwilling to reveal His will to His people. But nothing is further than the truth.
God wants us to understand His will more than we want to understand it. God always makes His will clear to those who seek it with an obedient heart. God has given to us His precious word—the Bible. And all the difficulties we face in regards to the questions about God's will are already settled in the scriptures. We just need to search the scriptures.
God has also given to us—the believers—the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide us according to His will. There are certain things that are very clear about God's will for our lives where the Bible says, "this is the will of God." Allow me to give you some examples, Galatians 1:4 says, ‘It is the will of God that we be saved.’ 1 Peter 2:15 says, ‘It is the will of God that we submit to the human authorities—whether it be kings or governors.’ 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, ‘It is the will of God that we keep ourselves pure.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, ‘It is the will of God that we give thanks for everything.’ 1 Peter 4:19 says, ‘If it is the will of God that we suffer, we must trust Him no matter what happens.’
So there are passages where God clearly said, "This is my will." But at the same time, there are many passages where God did not say, "This is my will." But because God has commanded us to do something and it is in His precious word, we believe that if God tells me to do it, it is His will for my life.
It is in the scriptures—it is His will for me. When the Bible says, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (2 Corinthians 6:14), and you get to know an unbeliever, and you still want to marry that person—well, God has already commanded you. It is not His will that you be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
When the Bible says, "Flee also youthful lusts" (2 Timothy 2:22), and you still want to associate with things, people, and activities that are immoral—well, God has already commanded you. It is not His will for you to do that.
So Paul’s prayer for the Colossians was that they might be filled with the knowledge of His will. But how can a person obtain that knowledge? It does not come magically. The moment he prays, he will have it. No—it does not work that way.
First, he must desire to have it. Secondly, he must depend on the Holy Spirit, because it is the Spirit of God who reveals it to him. Thirdly, he must study the scriptures. The greater his desire to have it, the greater his dependence upon the Holy Spirit, and the greater his diligent study of God's word, the more he will be filled with the knowledge of God's will.
Knowing the will of God is one thing, but the application of it is another thing altogether. That was why Paul went on to say, "in all wisdom and spiritual understanding."(Colossians 1:9). What is wisdom? Wisdom is not just knowledge. Wisdom is far more than the accumulation of information and intellectual understanding.
Today, man has a vast accumulation of knowledge. Man has learned to travel faster than the speed of sound. And yet, spiritually, he displays his lack of wisdom by going faster and faster in the wrong direction. Man has accumulated a huge library of information about this world. Just go to the computer, and you will know what I mean. But he shows his lack of wisdom by failing to live any better in this world.
The Bible tells us that wisdom is rooted in the fear of God. It is not a dreadful fear. It is a reverential fear. Job asked this vital question in Job 28:12, “But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.” Then finally, he said, ”Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28). Someone once said, ‘If you fear the Lord, you fear nothing else. But if you do not fear the Lord, you fear everything else’. How true.
The wisest man in the world, King Solomon, said in Proverbs 1:7,“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” If a man has no fear for God, he's not only unwise—he's actually a fool. As Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.”
We not only need wisdom—we need to apply wisdom into our lives. And that is what spiritual understanding means. It is the application of knowledge, principles, and truth to the different situations of life. You can have two persons who know the same truth. They can write the same answer on paper. One of them has learned to live it out, and he has skilfully applied it. But the other lives his life as if he doesn't know anything about it, and he is constantly making foolish decisions that have nothing to do with what he knew.
So we asked this question: what is the difference between the two of them? It is not just in having knowledge, principles, and truth. It is in the application. You and I are wise only when we pay attention and live out what we know.
Dear friend, you may have good Bible knowledge. You may remember all the memory verses. You may be able to articulate in words all the difficult doctrines. But you need to ask God how that knowledge is to be applied in a given situation. That is wisdom and spiritual understanding. Only God can give us that wisdom and spiritual understanding.
James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” We will always lack wisdom. No one can ever say he has perfect wisdom. No, not one. Let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally—which means bountifully or generously—and upbraideth not, which means without reproach.
God is happy that you come and ask for wisdom, and he promised it shall be given him. So when we pray and ask the Lord to direct our paths, as Proverbs 3:5–6 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
God will direct our paths and show us what we must do and where we ought to be. And oftentimes, he would do it by opening doors and closing doors. Perhaps you may be struggling, “Should I do this, or should I do that? Should I go this way, or should I go that way?’ Then all of a sudden, the door is shut—and you do not have to worry about it anymore.
On another occasion, you may be wondering, ’What should I do? There seems to be nothing in front of me. Which way should I go?’ Then all of a sudden, God opens a door. This is how God will lead us by his providential hand. Take a moment and consider this, If God has revealed to us his will in the Bible, and he wants us to come and learn from his word, and he's willing to give to us wisdom and spiritual understanding— that is a great invitation, right?
But it also comes with a great accountability. If we respond to the situations of life in an unwise way,or we make foolish decisions, whose fault is it? It is our fault. We didn't study God's word. We didn't seek his will. We didn't ask him for wisdom and spiritual understanding. Therefore, we are not able to apply the knowledge, principles, and truth to all the situations of life—whatever they may be.
Dear friend, we need to pray for ourselves and for the people around us— people whom we know and do not know, for the lost souls to come and believe in Jesus Christ. The frequency of prayer is that we must not cease to pray. And what is the thing that causes us to pray without ceasing? It is this desire in our hearts. We are conscious of God, and we are conscious of the people's needs, which will then lead us to desire what is best for them.
We do not only pray for those people who are struggling, facing difficulties, or fallen into sin. But we also pray for those people who are doing well— that they may continue to grow to the next level of spiritual excellence, as the Bible said, “That ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” (Colossians 1:9). This is how we ought to pray.
Let us look to the Lord in prayer. Our Father in Heaven, even as we consider this verse in Colossians 1:9, indeed there are so many valuable lessons we can draw from Thy infallible and inerrant word— Thy word that Thou hast inspired and preserved for us through the ages, that we can hold in our hands and read for ourselves. Thou hast taught us that we must pray, and to pray without ceasing for ourselves and also for the people around us— for the believers, for the lost souls to come and believe in Thee.
We must pray not only for those people who are struggling, but also for those people who are growing spiritually. We want them to grow to the next level of spiritual excellence. And we desire what is best for us, what is best for them too, because we are conscious of Thee, and we are conscious of the people's needs— without which we will not be able to pray effectively. We will not be able to desire what is best for them. And we want to always abide by Thy ill revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures. Thy word is Thy will for us, and we want to obey them. And we pray that Thy people might be filled with the knowledge of Thy will, and apply it in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Indeed, we begin with this unquenchable desire in our hearts to desire to have it. And we want to depend on the Holy Spirit, because only He alone can reveal Thy will to us. And it is only through Thy word, so we must study the Bible. Remind us, O Lord, because as humans we always forget, and oftentimes the first spiritual activity to be compromised is prayers. We need to pray. We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANSA Faith And Love That ShinesA Faith And Love That ShinesColossians 1:1-4
The Blessedness Of Our Christian HopeThe Blessedness Of Our Christian HopeColossians 1:5-6a
The Transforming Power Of The GospelThe Transforming Power Of The GospelColossians 1:6b-8
The Need For PrayersThe Need For PrayersColossians 1:9
Prayer for Spiritual ExcellencePrayer for Spiritual ExcellenceColossians 1:9-12
Walk Worthy Of The LordWalk Worthy Of The LordColossians 1:10-11
What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?Colossians 1:12
Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!Colossians 2:4-9, 19
Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!Colossians 2:7
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
