Colossians 1:9-10 Why We Need Prayer

Colossians 1:9-10 “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,”

We all desire (hopefully) to live a life which is pleasing to the Lord, and we try so very hard to do so. We want to glorify Him with the work of our hands. We want to glorify Him with the thoughts in our heads. We want to glorify Him with our attitudes towards others. We want to glorify Him with our feelings and  desires. We want to glorify God with everything that is within us. Or at least we would if we were totally surrendered to Him. For most of us – or even just me – there are places in our lives that we just have trouble letting go of and surrendering to Christ. We know that He knows best, but for some reason these special little places of ourselves we want to hold onto tightly. We say “this is good enough” and although we would like to claim that God has total control, it is a total control except this piece here and that piece there. We reserve little areas of ourselves that hold tightly to ourselves. While we doe this, we do glorify God with the rest of it, and we can even glorify God with a portion of what we are holding back but its never all the way; He isn't being glorified as much as He could and should be.

We want the Lord to look at us and say “Well done, my good and faithful servant,” but can He really say that if we are holding back from Him even if only subconsciously? I think not, and it pains me to think this because I know that I, even if all of you are perfect, have areas of my life that I have not totally relinquished to Him. Some of these places I know about and am working on, most however I have no idea about - these little hidden rebel countries of Me-zakstan or perhaps even the United States of Me.  This is why it is so very important to have people praying for us and people to hold us accountable. This is why it is important for us to gather together as believers and encourage each other, uplift each other, and even (and not as much fun) correct each other.  There are things about myself that I don't know and will never know until someone tells me about them. There are things about you that you don't know and won't know until I or someone else tells you about it. This is why we need each other so very much, and this is why God calls us to deal with each other in love – because each of us has our own particular issues and problems.

I want to live a life worthy of God, totally pleasing to Him, giving Him all the glory I can. To do that I need prayer and help in my daily walk. You as well, want the same and need the same.  This week then, let me pray for you and you can pray for me for guidance and wisdom. This week, lets actually try and listen when other believers try and correct us instead of taking umbrage and thinking they are finding needless fault with us. Let us do the same thing for them. Think of it as a form of love. A love wanting others to glorify God to their full potential!

I need the prayers of those I love, while trav’ling o’er life’s rugged way,
That I may true and faithful be, and live for Jesus every day.

I want my friends to pray for me, to bear my tempted soul above,
And intercede with God for me; I need the prayers of those I love.

I need the prayers of those I love, to help me in each trying hour,
To bear my tempted soul to Him, that He may keep me by His pow’r.

I want my friends to pray for me, to hold me up on wings of faith,
That I may walk the narrow way, kept by our Father’s glorious grace.
                                                                                      James D. Vaughan 1908.