A Life-Changing Prayer

Whether or not someone is already a believer, we can pray for that person’s spiritual growth and knowledge of God’s will.

Read: Colossians 1:9-14

The prayer in today’s reading is a powerful model for any believer. The passage teaches how to pray on behalf of others—and those who do will find themselves changed in the process. In verses 9-10 of this letter, Paul and Timothy say they’ve been praying that the believers in Colossae would …

Be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. One of the major steps toward knowing God’s will is to know His Word, which provides guidance in every imaginable situation. When we pray this, we are asking God to make clear His perfect and precise will for every decision.

Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. This is a phrase that means making one’s life count for eternity. Whatever we have done in the Spirit—which Scripture compares to refined gold, silver, and precious stones—is worth exponentially more than the “wood, hay, or straw” ashes produced by worldly interests (1 Cor. 3:10-15).

Bear fruit in every good work. When Jesus Christ is the center of our life, then our character, conduct, and conversation should bear fruit for His kingdom.

The words of this passage can be prayed for anyone, whether or not the person already knows the Lord. And in making these requests for others, we will want the same kind of growth in our own life.