Colossians 1:9-14 English Standard Version

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

This is the prayer that sparked my interest in biblical prayers and what they mean to us.

Has anyone prayed this prayer over you? It is a great example of effectual prayer and I would add this prayer right now.

Father, I pray this prayer over everyone who reads it here, right now. Amen

Since we are to be sanctified in truth, in His Word, then this is His Truth, His Word and this is what God the Father has done for us and in us because our Lord Jesus Crhist consecrated Himself to the work on the Cross which made all this possible.

Believe His Word. Believe the Father has kept His Word. He has made it possible to walk in a manner worthy of our Lord because His Spirit goes with us in power to strengthen us when we are weak.

Paul covers a lot of ground in this prayer and the foundation for this prayer is found in the gospels that preceded it. Granted the gospels had not been gathered together into our Holy Bible at that time, but the God that inspired those Gospels inspired Paul.

Our God knows how to encourage us to do good works and these prayers are meant just as much for us as they were to the first century saints. Their power has not diminished over time because truth is timeless and is as powerful today as it was the first time it was spoken.

They are worthy of repeating.

Philippians 1:9-11 English Standard Version

9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

How many messages have we received that simply say “We prayed for you today.” It is the knowledge that we have been prayed over that should matter but what is missing is the specifics.

Here Paul tells the Phillipians some of the things he has prayed about. It is comforting in a way to know what people are praying for us so that if those prayers are answered, we would know why.

 I pray that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. AMEN

This is a referred prayer. The sentiment and context is meant for my readers. We can take the example and use it to form a prayer of our own for those we care about.

These prayer examples were given to us to help us help one another in ways we so often fumble for the right words to convey our sentiments. I copied that prayer word for word but we can use our own words to add specifics if needed.

The important thing in referred prayer is that we share the love and concern for one another.

Paul met these people and had a better knowledge of their deeds and needs. I do not know all my readers with that same communal knowledge. If the Spirit leads me to voice this prayer, then it shall fall upon the heart that needs it and bless them in ways that only God can control.

We want good things for one another, so why not say a prayer over one another that is godly, wholesome and edifying?

These are examples. What is important is the sentiment and love and concern in which they are shared. Who knows, maybe with practice our prayers may end up sounding as effective as Pauls.

Philemon 1:6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

AMEN