Paul's Prayer for the Colossians (Colossians 1:3-12)

Paul usually has a thanksgiving followed by an intercession at the beginning of his letters. It is a valid assumption that he details the contents of his prayers in order to show his readers how they should pray. So we can learn to pray by listening in to Paul’s prayer for the Colossians. 

The first detail to observe is the manner by which Paul addresses God in his prayer. Although he was a Jew, he did not use the name ‘God of Israel’, although he did mention the Messiah when he said that he was praying to the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps he is stressing that we pray to the Father in the name of Jesus and we can see what authority he has. Since he is the exalted Lord, we can have great confidence that we will be heard by his Father and our Father. 

 

Paul’s gratitude 

Paul had two encouragements – one was what had taken place locally in Colosse and the other was what was happening globally in the world. Both his encouragements are connected to the gospel. 

 

Regarding the local state of affairs in Colosse, Paul would have been informed of these spiritual developments by Epaphras when he arrived in Rome. Paul summarises their spiritual state by using the common triad of graces – faith, hope and love. This triad occurs several times in the New Testament, which points to it being a common way in the early church of describing Christian living. 

 

The first grace is faith in Christ Jesus. Paul has already described them as the faithful in Christ Jesus and now he stresses again the reality of their faith. What is faith in Christ Jesus? It has been defined in many ways. Faith involves dependence on Jesus Christ. Obviously such faith is an intelligent one, based on accurate information about him. These Colossians depended on Jesus alone, which is a crucial aspect of the response to the gospel. Faith also delights in Jesus Christ – he thrills them and they expect great things from him.

 

The second grace is love for all the saints. They now belong to the same family, having been separated to God (which is what the word ‘saints’ means). This love is a miracle because it transcends all the barriers that usually divide people from one another (the barriers of race, religion, status, and gender have no place in the church). Yet before their conversions, each of them had some form of separation. But now they were together and they showed this love by meeting together and remembering the Lord, by serving one another in a variety of spiritual and practical ways. 

 

The third detail is the hope laid up for them in heaven. Paul indicates that this hope affects the other graces. It affected faith because hope reminded them that they would yet meet the One in whom they trusted; it affected love because it reminded them that they would spend eternity with the saints and therefore they loved all God’s people. 

What is the hope that is preserved securely for them in heaven?Perhaps the meaning can be illustrated by a young person waiting until he is old enough to enter his inheritance. The document entitling him to his inheritance will be in a secure place such as a bank or in a lawyer’s safe. He knows that it will be his, although he cannot yet enjoy it. In a far higher sense, each Christian has in heaven a guarantee that he or she will yet come into a God-promised inheritance.

 

The second encouragement for thanksgiving that Paul mentions is the progress of the gospel, which he says has gone through all the world. Is Paul exaggerating when he says this is the case? No doubt he does not mean that every single person has heard the gospel. Yet he says again in verse 24 that the gospel has been proclaimed throughout the whole creation. 

 

In the following century, the Christian apologist Justin Martyr, in his dialogue with a Jew called Trypho, said of the spread of the Christian faith: ‘For there is not one single race of men, whether barbarians, or Greeks, or whatever they may be called, nomads, or vagrants, or herdsmen living in tents, among whom prayers and giving of thanks are not offered through the name of the crucified Jesus.’ Paul was encouraged that the gospel spread quickly, and therefore both the global and the local encouragements stimulated him to pray. 

 

We can summarise Paul’s thanksgiving in this way. First, it was genuine thanksgiving: he was not making a false claim when he wrote that he and his friends were praying frequently for the Colossians.  Second, it was grace-focused thanksgiving: Paul’s gratitude did not focus on how well the Colossians were doing in earthly affairs but on how their faith and love was expressing themselves.  Third, it was gospel-stimulated thanksgiving: Paul received great encouragement from the progress of the gospel throughout the world. As he sent this letter, he was imprisoned in Rome. Yet he rejoiced that the gospel that pointed with certainty to a future world was very effective wherever it was declared.  

 

Paul’s petitions

What did Paul pray for with regard to a church like the one in Colosse. The first detail that he mentions is in verse 9 – the knowledge of God’s will. Paul does not mean God’s secret will because its details cannot be known. Does he mean God’s specific will for us as individuals? No doubt, we should pray about personal concerns, but we will not be told the answers beforehand. So I think Paul has in mind what we call God’s revealed will, now found in the Bible. 

 

God’s revealed will includes some details of his eternal purpose such as the spread of the gospel, the return of Jesus and the resurrection. We gain this knowledge from the Bible. The Bible also contains instructions for us to obey such as the ten commandments. There are other general references to God’s will in the Scriptures. 

 

Second, Paul prays that they would be given spiritual wisdom and understanding in order to know what to do with God’s revealed will. They needed such insight in order to walk in a manner that was pleasing to the Lord (Jesus). Another way of describing a life pleasing to the Lord is bearing fruit as we obey God’s will. How can we produce fruit in every good work? By doing them consciously for Jesus as we depend on divine grace. The outcome will be an increased knowledge of God the Father. Heart obedience to God’s revealed will is the only way to please the Lord Jesus and have fellowship with God.

 

Third, Paul prays that they would have divine power in order to persevere joyfully. Paul mentions three terms designed to produce a guaranteed result. The three terms are strength, all power and glorious might, and the outcome is joyful endurance and patience. This petition reminds us that the personal strengths of a person are not adequate for persevering in the Christian pathway. We face the obstacles of the world, the flesh and the devil. We keep going by continually praying for and then experiencing God’s enabling power. 

 

Of course, what would make them joyful was their knowledge of what they would experience as an outcome of perseverance. Paul knew that, through his prayers, the Colossians would receive divine power that would result in joyful appreciation of spiritual blessings, no matter the difficulty. Now we can see why Paul made his petitions.