The 'Complete' Prayer for a Significant Life

I read this passage a few weeks back and was blown away that everything I had been praying for in my walk with God and desire for my life was found in this passage.

I just wanted to unpack it here because I feel that this passage has so much in it, and it was so exciting I want to share it with you!

The scripture is Colossians 1: 9- 12:

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him,being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

Long? Let's break it down.


1.
ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding

• 'ask' - there is an assurance of an answer
• 'filled' - not just 'have' or 'experience' but 'filled'. In the Greek, it means to 'fill to the brim', 'make complete'
• 'the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding'
  a) it's possible to have the knowledge of His will
  b) Paul qualifies the kind of knowledge he prayed for the Colossian Church with 'in all wisdom and spiritual understanding'. It's one thing to have knowledge, but another to understand it, and know what to do with it -- that takes wisdom and understanding) there's a kind of understanding that is inaccessible to the natural human mind. We need this 'spiritual understanding' that we can all ask for 
• walking in the will of the Lord brings us ...
  a) in line with the good works in Christ Jesus that were prepared before hand, that we should walk in them - ie we will be able to fulfill our destiny when we walk in the will of the Lord
  b) it puts us on the right path to receive all the blessings and equipping we need to fulfill our destiny
  c) puts us on the right path to meet the people we are meant to help towards THEIR destinies
• we should always seek to be in God's will, even if it means laying the right to our own will down - it will save you a lot of hassle!

2.

that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him

• it is possible to not just please the Lord, but fully please the Lord!
• if Paul can ask this, so can we
• if God is happy for us to ask this, then He must be more than happy to answer it!
• 'walk worthy' - the word 'worthy' is elsewhere translated 'as it becomes [someone]' (in the sense of propriety, or appropriate carriage of self in accordance to that person's stature or standing). The NLT translates this as 'then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord'
  a) this does not mean that we have to earn God's pleasure. If it did, it would be in direct contradiction to Paul's repeated message of salvation by faith, and God's grace independent of our efforts.
  b) walk worthy of the Lord= (in my understanding) live our lives in such a way that shows our sincere honour and gratitude towards God

3.

being fruitful in every good work

• A fruitful plant exhibits the ability to multiply itself and extend its range of influence
• 'EVERY' - it is possible to be fruitful in all the good work we do, not just some
  a) sometimes 'fruit' is not obvious, or takes some time to develop. This does not mean that the plant is not fruitful - it just becomes evident in other ways.
  b) someone else's fruitfulness is not equivalent to your kind of fruitfulness - don't compare!
  c) there are some seeds that fall unknown in far away, hidden places to spring forth elsewhere with great beauty and power. Don't think that the obvious fruit is the only fruit you bear.
  You may have influenced a life without knowing it, and that seed you sowed may bear more fruit than all your other works put together! Let God be the final judge of how effective or good you are - He sees everything, not just the obvious.
  d) therefore, give of yourself liberally without fear. Cast your bread upon many waters (Ecc 11:12), and keep yourself in the hand of Christ and in the path He has set for you. When we are willing to step out and sow the seeds God has given to us, it is He who will make them grow.
  However, this does not mean throwing caution to the wind and doing things willy-nilly - our efforts should be carefully executed, like a well-aimed arrow.
• 'good'= honourable, useful, excellent, joyful
• 'work'= business, employment, product, act/deed

Are you encouraged yet? There's still more to munch on from this passage but we'll continue another day - I'm a firm believer in small morsels well chewed! It makes for much better digestion and absorption of God's Word =) 

Take time to read the scriptures over and over again, and God may show you different aspects of these parts of the passage. Pray that God will show you how to apply this too.

More next time!