Praying for Other Christians // A Devotional

Reading my devotions lately I came across these two prayers that Paul prayed for different churches that he had ministered in. I also noticed that Paul often says he prays every day for these people--probably by name. It struck me that with all this free time many of us have, we should definitely be spending it in prayer. We should be battling daily in prayer anyways, but now we have more time to pray and we should totally make time—set aside time—to pray every day for each other. The fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much—pray for each other! 

So I have a challenge for all of you. I am drawing up a list of the Christians I know, and I am pledging myself to spend half an hour every day praying for them specifically--aside from the praying I do at my devotions. I'm calling it the #ChoosingPrayerWarrior Challenge. And I would love to have others joining in. Let me know if you decide to join in.   

I also decided to look at these prayers that Paul prays in depth. I wanted to know--what sort of things should I be praying for other Christians? 

The first prayer I studied is Colossians 1:9-12. 

“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; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:”

1. That they be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

• Filled: “Made full; supplied with abundance.”
• Knowledge: “A clear and certain perception of that which exists, or of truth and fact; the perception of the connection and agreement, or disagreement and repugnancy of our ideas.” 
• Will: “Command; direction…. Divine determination; moral purpose or counsel.”
• Wisdom: “The right use or exercise of knowledge; the choice of laudable ends, and of the best means to accomplish them. This is wisdom in act, effect, or practice. If wisdom is to be considered as a faculty of the mind, it is the faculty of discerning or judging what is most just, proper and useful, and if it is to be considered as an acquirement, it is the knowledge and use of what is best, most just, most proper, most conducive to prosperity or happiness. Wisdom in the first sense, or practical wisdom is nearly synonymous with discretion. It differs somewhat from prudence, in this respect; prudence is the exercise of sound judgment in avoiding evils; wisdom is the exercise of sound judgment either in avoiding evils or attempting good. Prudence then is a species, of which wisdom is the genus…. In Scripture theology, wisdom is true religion; godliness; piety; the knowledge and fear of God, and sincere and uniform obedience to his commands. This is the wisdom which is from above.”
• Spiritual: “Pertaining to divine things.”
• Understanding: “Knowledge; exact comprehension.” 

I pray that they are full (abundantly) of a clear, certain knowledge of what God wants them to do, in all wisdom (a right use of knowledge) of divine things. E.G., in the knowledge of what God has said and what He asks of us. One must know this, in order to be sure to carry out His will (His directions).

2. That they might walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing.

• Walk: “In Scripture, to live and act or behave; to pursue a particular course of life.”
• Worthy: “Deserving; such as merits; having worth or excellence; equivalent; with of, before the thing deserved…. Suitable; having qualities suited to; either in a good or bad sense; equal in value; as flowers worthy of paradise.” 
• Pleasing: “Giving pleasure or satisfaction; agreeable to the senses or to the mind; as a pleasing prospect; a pleasing reflection; pleasing manners.”

I pray that they would live and behave like Christ, and in a way that pleases everyone (has their approbation and gives them pleasure).

3. Being fruitful in every good work.

• Fruitful: “Very productive; producing fruit in abundance; as fruitful soil; a fruitful tree; a fruitful season. Prolific; bearing children; not barren. Plenteous; abounding in any thing. Productive of any thing; fertile; as fruitful in expedients. Producing in abundance; generating; as fruitful in crimes.”
• Work: “To act; to carry on operations.”
• Good: “Conformable to the moral law; virtuous; applied to actions.”

I pray that they would produce fruit (bring people to Christ) in abundance in every good action that God would have them do. 

4. Increasing in the knowledge of God.

• Increasing: “Growing; becoming larger; advancing in any quality, good or bad.”
• Knowledge: “A clear and certain perception of that which exists, or of truth and fact; the perception of the connection and agreement, or disagreement and repugnancy of our ideas.”

I pray that their knowledge of God, and their relationship with Him, grows and becomes larger. 

5. Strengthened with all might unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.

• Strengthened: “Made strong or stronger; confirmed.”
• Might: “Strength; force; power.”
• Patience: “The suffering of afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation or other evil, with a calm, unruffled temper; endurance without murmuring or fretfulness. Patience may spring from constitutional fortitude, from a kind of heroic pride, or from christian submission  to the divine will. A calm temper which bears evils without murmuring or discontent. The act or quality of waiting long for justice or expected good without discontent. Perseverance; constancy in labor or exertion. The quality of bearing offenses and injuries without anger or revenge.”
• Submission: “The act of submitting; the act of yielding to power or authority; surrender of the person and power to the control or government of another…. Obedience; compliance with the commands or laws of a superior.… Resignation; a yielding of one’s will to the will or appointment of a superior without murmuring. Entire and cheerful submission to the will of God is a christian duty of prime excellence.”
• Longsuffering: “Bearing injuries or provocation for a long time; patient; not easily provoked.”
• Joyfulness: “Great gladness; joy.”

I pray that they would be made stronger with all God’s power to have all patience (submission, endurance, waiting, perseverance) 

and long-suffering (patience, calmness), and that they do this with joy  (“a delight of the mind, from the consideration of the present or assured approaching possession of a good.”) There’s a lot in this! Look up these words for yourself and see what endurance and perseverance is. 

6. Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.

• Thanks: “Expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment made to express a sense of favor or kindness received. Gratitude is the feeling or sentiment excited by kindness; thanks are the expression of that sentiment.”

I pray that they would be grateful and thank God for all He has done for them, and for the reward and hope they have in heaven. 

So let’s reread that prayer now. 

“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; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:”

I pray that they are full of a clear, certain knowledge of what God wants them to do, in all wisdom of divine things (what God has said and what He asks of us); that they would live and behave like Christ, and in a way that has the approbation of everyone & gives pleasure to everyone; that they would bring people to Christ in abundance in every good action that God would have them do; that their knowledge of God, and their relationship with Him, grows and becomes larger; that they would be made stronger with all God’s power to have all patience and long-suffering, and that they do this with joy; and that they would be grateful and thank God for all He has done for them, and for the reward and hope they have in heaven.

This prayer doesn’t only apply to others. I challenge you to pray it for yourself, sincerely and humbly. What a difference this world would be if every Christian lived like this passage says.

Are you willing to make a change? 

Are you willing to live out the Bible? 

Are you willing to live your life the way God wants you to? 

The second prayer I looked at is from Ephesians 1:14-19.

“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, … That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”

1. That God would grant them to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man.

• Grant: “To give; to bestow or confer on without compensation, particularly in answer to prayer or request.”
• Strengthen: “To make strong or stronger; to add strength to, either physical, legal or moral; as, to strengthen a limb; to strengthen an obligation…. To cause to increase in power or security.”
• Might: “Strength; force; power.”
• Inner: “Interior; internal; not outward; as the inner man.”
• Man: “Mankind; the human race; the whole species of human beings; beings distinguished from all other animals by the powers of reason and speech, as well as by their shape and dignified aspect.” 

I pray that God would strengthen them with His power by His spirit within them.

2. That Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith.

• Dwell: “To abide as a permanent resident, or to inhabit for a time; to live in a place; to have a habitation for some time or permanence…. To be in any state or condition; to continue.”
• Heart: “The seat of the affections and passions, as of love, joy, grief, enmity, courage, pleasure etc…. The seat of the will; hence, secret purposes, intentions or designs.”
• Faith: “Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting on his authority and veracity, without other evidence; the judgment that what another states or testifies is the truth. Faith is a firm, cordial belief in the veracity of God, in all the declarations of his word; or a full and affectionate confidence in the certainty of those things which God has declared, and because he has declared them. Evangelical, justifying, or saving faith is the assent of the mind to the truth of divine revelation, on the authority of God’s testimony, accompanied with a cordial assent of the will or approbation of the heart; an entire confidence or trust in God’s character and declarations, and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an unreserved surrender of the will to his guidance, and dependence on his merits for salvation. In other words, that firm belief of God’s testimony, and of the truth of the gospel, which influences the will, and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation.”

We pray that Christ would live permanently in their hearts by faith. (I absolutely love that text on faith.) 

3. That ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.

• Rooted: “Having its roots planted or fixed in the earth; hence, fixed; deep; radical; as rooted sorrow; rooted aversion; rooted prejudices.”
• Grounded: “To found; to fix or set, as on a foundation, cause, reason or principle; as arguments grounded on reason; faith grounded on scriptural evidence…. To settle in first principles; to fix firmly.”
• Love: “To have benevolence or good will for.” 
• Benevolence: “The disposition to do good; good will; kindness; charitableness; the love, of mankind, accompanied with a desire to promote their happiness.”
• Kindness: “Good will; benevolence; that temper or disposition which delights in contributing to the happiness of others, which is exercised cheerfully in gratifying their wishes, supplying their wants or alleviating their distresses; benignity of nature. Kindness ever accompanies love.” 
• Comprehend: “To understand; to conceive; that is, to take, hold or contain in the mind; to possess or to have in idea; according to the popular phrase, I take your meaning.” 
• Saints: “A person sanctified; a holy or godly person; one eminent for piety and virtue.” 
• Sanctified: “Made holy; consecrated; set apart for sacred services.”
• Breadth: “The measure or extent of any plain surface from side to side; a geometrical dimension, which, multiplied into the length, constitutes a surface; as, the length of a table is five feet, and the breadth three; 5x3=15 feet, the whole surface.”
• Length: “Extent; extension.”
• Depth: “Deepness; the distance or measure of a thing from the surface to the bottom, or to the extreme part downwards or inwards. The depth of a river may be ten feet. The depth of the ocean is unfathomable. The depth of a wound may be an inch. In a vertical direction, depth is opposed to height.”
• Height: “The distance to which anything rises above its foot, above that on which in stands, above the earth, or above the level of the sea; altitude; the measure upward from a surface, as the floor or the ground, of an animal, especially of a man; stature.”
• Know: “To perceive with certainty; to understand clearly; to have a clear and certain perception of truth, fact, or any thing that actually exists. To know a thing precludes all doubt or uncertainty of its existence. We know what we see with our eyes, or perceive by other senses. We know that fire and water are different substances. We know that truth and falsehood express ideas incompatible with each other. We know that a circle is not a square. We do not know the truth of reports, nor can we always know what to believe.”
• Passeth: “To surpass; to excel; to exceed.”
• Knowledge: “A clear and certain perception of that which exists, or of truth and fact; the perception of the connection and agreement, or disagreement and repugnancy of our ideas.”

I pray that they would be fixed firmly, deeply, and completely in love (caring for others, wanting the best for them, doing what they can for them to make them happier), and that it would be their foundation. I pray that they, with the other Christians, would understand how great God’s love is—how wide, how long, how deep, how high—that they would really completely know and understand it, and how overpowering and mind-blowing it is.

4. That they might be filled with all the fulness of God.

• Filled: “Made full; supplied with abundance.”
• Fullness: “The state of being filled, so as to leave no part vacant. The state of abounding or being in great plenty; abundance. Completeness; the state of a thing in which nothing is wanted; perfection.”

I pray that they would be full God’s Spirit. 

Again, reread the prayer.

“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, … That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”

So we pray that God would strengthen them with His power by His spirit within them; that Christ would live permanently in their hearts by faith; that they would be fixed firmly, deeply, and completely in love (caring for others, wanting the best for them, doing what they can for them to make them happier), and that it would be their foundation; that they, with the other Christians, would understand how great God’s love is—how wide, how long, how deep, how high—that they would really completely know and understand it, and how overpowering and mind-blowing it is; and that they would be full of the perfection of God.

What a powerful prayer. If Christians are strengthened in God, if they have Christ living fully in their hearts, if they are full of faith, if they are abounding in love, if they know how amazing God’s love for you is, if they are full of the Lord’s Spirit… how different their lives would be. What a change that would make.

Once more, I challenge you to pray this prayer for yourself, honestly and humbly, sentence by sentence. More than just once. We can’t pray that all the Christians we know become perfect and refuse to change ourselves. Are you willing to live a radical, Christlike life? Are you willing to live the way God wants you to? 

God help us all to strive earnestly for perfection. 

~ / / ~

What did God teach you this week?