Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
I am always struck, just for a moment, in the differences in letter writing conventions between our time and the first century. We start out with a salutation to the recipient; they started out by telling the folks who was writing the letter. In this case, Paul identifies himself as 'an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God' and includes 'Timothy our brother' in the opening statement, so I am guessing that Timothy was acting as scribe for Paul on this letter.
In verse two, we see the intended recipients: 'the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse'.
THEN we get the salutation: 'Grace and peace to you from God our Father.'
A bit backwards from what we are used to, but it works, eh?
Now, keep in mind that Paul has never met these folks; they may have heard of him, but he has no relationship with them, personally, as he did, say, the church in Philippi, or Ephesus, or the churches in Galatia. So he needs to establish a connection to them before he shares anything of a teaching nature.
And how would you establish such a connection?
Well, you'd tell them how you heard of them and that you are praying for them.
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. (Col. 1:3)
Notice that this verse implies that Paul prays for these folks on at least a somewhat regular basis.
Right away, he should have their attention, at the least....'Wait. This guy is praying for us?'
He continues, telling them what he has heard, which compliments the folks at Colosse:
...of their faith in Christ Jesus
...of the love they have for all the saints
...that they have already heard about the word of truth, the gospel
...that the gospel is bearing fruit and growing in them
...that they heard it, and understood God's grace
Paul knows this because Epaprhas told him (v 8), and Epaphras is the one who taught them (v. 7) and just happens to be a fellow servant of Paul's, working on his behalf in places to which Paul had not traveled (also v. 7).
Paul has now established a connection...they gospel they believe, and the common acquaintance they share. Now...he shares with them what he has been praying for them since he first heard about them:
...asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. (v. 9)
It's a pretty short and simple request, but look at what Paul expects that little prayer to do, enabling the Colossian believers to
1) Live a life worthy of the Lord
2) Please him in every way
3) Bear fruit in every good work
4) Grow in the knowledge of God
5) Be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might
With the result that
1) They will have great endurance and patience
2) They will joyfully give thanks to the Father, who has qualified them to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
That's a lot from a one-sentence prayer. Kinda makes me wonder if we realize the potency of a small prayer, earnestly prayed. Or...look at the request itself. He didn't ask God to draw them close to him, protect them, set a hedge around them, give them prosperity and health, break off any any strongholds of the enemy, thwart the enemy's designs and attacks, etc. etc. ...he just prayed that they would be filled with the knowledge of God's will through spiritual wisdom and understanding. Like, if they had that then the rest would follow. It was a targeted, strategic prayer. And it was, I think I can add, a faith-filled prayer. Paul prayed his short little prayer, and then expected God to do it and start a chain of events that would lead to a strong, patient, joyful and victorious church in Colosse.
Makes me wonder...how can I be more strategic in my prayers?
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