Verse: Colossians 4:2-4
Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
Devotion
Where do you go when you have a significant life problem? Do you go to a trusted friend who you know will give you good advice? Maybe it is the type of problem that you can Google. Now you have more answers than you can possibly even look at! And usually they are contradictory. What do you do with that? Maybe there is an expert in the field like a counselor or a doctor that you can talk to.
These are all good answers. However, as Christians, shouldn’t our first stop be to talk to our best friend, best counselor, best expert who made us and knows everything about us? Paul wasn’t able to be with the Corinthians in person so he writes them a letter telling them to “continue earnestly in prayer.” The Greek word for continue includes persistence and fervor. Then Paul says to be vigilant. This word means awake. So much for any nighttime prayers where I fall asleep praying. In another letter Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he told them to “Pray without ceasing.”
Prayer was such a major part of life for the early Christians for hundreds of years. But now it feels that we are too modern, too advanced to believe in prayer. If we truly believe that God loves us completely and wants to have a relationship with us, then we should talk to him (pray) about our lives and problems. And while we pray, we should also talk about what we are happy about and give thanks to God for all the good things that have come our way and how He has guided us so far.
So if you are going through a rough time (and who isn’t), try praying about that issue to God each day this week for doors to open. You may be surprised at what happens to the situation and/or to you.
Prayer
Father God, we come to you with our problems knowing you care about us and hear us. Walk with us this week and direct our steps. Thank you for your love and for your faithfulness.
Author: Brad Dunn
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