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We continually ask God to fill you…..     

~Col. 1:9

 

Good morning dear sister!

That sure sounds like a promising verse! I pray that, together, we might be edified as we consider who is “we” and what are we asking God to fill us with!

Often when I am thinking about relationships, especially among church family, I turn to the book of Colossians. The Apostle Paul is writing to a church that he founded in the city of Colassae, which was in the region of where Turkey is today. 

Paul is writing to them since he has continued on in his missionary journeys and, at the time of his writing, he is writing while under house arrest in Rome. He is not able to visit them in person, but in his love for them, he writes to encourage them to keep growing in the Lord.

Paul doesn’t just write letters to keep in touch though, he goes to God and keeps their bond strong by praying for his flock, his church family. For me, that is where the wonder of this letter comes in. Imagine the power of the bonds, the power of God in our midst if we each lifted one another up in prayer on a regular basis!

If we think we don’t know how to pray for someone else Paul gives us the perfect example in his letter! He prays for others to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. It gives me goosebumps to think that someone could be praying for me to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, through all the wisdom and understanding that the Holy Spirit gives!

He prays for his brethren in Christ that with wisdom and understanding they may live a life worthy of the Lord. That in every way they would  bear good fruit in every work and, like a cherry on top,  to continue growing in the knowledge of God! How strong would each of us be if we prayed like that for one another? 

Paul anticipates that! He continues to pray for strength for his flock, with all power according to God’s glorious might so that his brethren might endure and have patience in trials and trouble. Oh, dear sisters, how many of us need that kind of prayer? God’s glorious might and His instruction will help us to be strengthened in Him to patiently and faithfully endure any trial!

Finally, Paul ends his prayer with joyful thanks to God and encourages his church family to do the same, for doing so qualifies them to share in the inheritance of the saints; His holy people in the kingdom of light.

When I read that, the questions that come to my mind are, “Am I qualified? Will my prayers really have much effect? I’m just one person.” The answer is simple; yes and yes!

Our individual prayers have much effect! Paul was writing to the church of Colossae. A gathering of somewhere between 20-40 people, meeting in someone’s house. Not exactly a mega-church.

But God multiplies the tiniest seed! Remember when Jesus compared God’s kingdom to a mustard seed? Think about how many million times that seed has borne fruit in the last 2000 years! God’s promises were in action in that tiny group of faithful saints. 

Jesus also said that God’s Word will be made known to the farthest corners of the earth! The Colossians didn’t even know about Europe back then, or even dreamed that vast continents existed across the water that met with the sky!  It is a bit humbling to think that it is we, who dwell in the farthest corners of the earth!   

Yet the believers prayed, being filled with wisdom and God’s understanding, not merely their own. And the fruit? An inheritance in the kingdom of God that is ever expanding throughout time and the world! Wow!

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that one person’s prayer can make a difference, but what if every one person prayed for just one other person and that person prayed for someone else and that someone else prayed…. You get the picture. Well, a piece of the picture.

God’s plan is so vast that it’s beyond our comprehension, but we do know enough of it to participate in a meaningful and fruitful way. Isn’t that exciting? Praise God that He knows each of us intimately, He hears us when we call out to Him and, best of all, desires our participation in His plan!

So, be filled, my dear sister, with all the good things God will give you, as you participate in His plan for all the earth!

Offered to you with much love and prayers, your sister, Celeste