A Picture That Does Not Match

Read: Colossians 4

"Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may be able to speak the mystery of Christ..." Colossians 4:2-3

Examine:

Prayer was not a token gesture for to Paul. It was not a nice-to-do or even a good-to-do. It was a must-do. He implored the people of the church to pray. He asked them to devote themselves to continually pray, to be alert while doing it, to keep their hearts grateful in doing it, and to focus their intentions on the spreading of the mystery of Christ.

Apply:

In this passage Paul paints a picture of prayer that does not match my life. "Devoted to continual prayers that are alert, grounded in gratitude and focused on the spreading of the gospel" does not exactly describe my prayer life.

Pray:

Father, there is something missing in my prayer life. There are three things that I feel convicted about in my prayers that I need to confess to You this morning. First, my prayers are way too geared towards personal comfort. Most of my prayers are centered around my life and that is egotistical, self-centered, and lacking in gratitude. I ask that You take my eyes off of myself and open them wide to world in which You have left me as a missionary. Break my heart for the things that break Yours and fill my prayers with a devoted labor to the spreading of the gospel of Christ.

Second, my prayers are not alert. I see this two ways. First, the act of prayer itself is all over the place with me. My mind wonders, my thoughts drift, and my connection with You is intermittent. Second, my spiritual life in general is not alert. It is easy to allow the pace of life to lull me into a catatonic spiritual state. Then something happens and I either miss it or I am ill prepared to act. Help me be alert today. I want my connection with You to be constant and my awareness of You to be life altering. Lead me today. Fill my mind with thoughts that are continually given to You and help me stay focused on the mission field You have chosen for my life.

Finally, my prayers are for my glory. I struggle with what I want to say and inside of me there is a strong urge to sound good when I pray. I want to hear people say amen. I want them to be moved and impressed. This is vanity and pride and I confess it to You as being the ugly sin that it is. I will never be the man You desire me to be until I am a man sold out to seeing You get Your glory. I ask that You set my heart on seeing You get Your glory. I pray that this would become an all-consuming passion for me.