Be devoted to prayer (Colossians 4:2)
“Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.”
- Colossians 4:2 CSB
What you would say is the greatest privilege of being a Christian?
For me, I would say it is having unlimited access to the ruler of the entire universe and beyond (Rom 5:2). This may be hard to believe for others. But the bible tells us that those who trust in Jesus have been reconciled with God. That is to say though formerly we were God’s enemies and objects of His just anger (Rom 5:10; Eph 2:3). But now we are at peace with God and are adopted as His sons and daughters (Rom 5:1; Eph 1:5). So we have the privilege of having God as our Father. Even better, we have the privilege to speak to Him through prayer. As our heavenly Father, He delights to hear from us all the time. As Tim Keller says when speaking about this privilege we have to come to God as our father in prayer. “The only person who dares wake up a king at 3:00 a.m. for a glass of water is a child. So for us as God’s children, we have this kind of access to him through prayer.”
Though we have this privilege to come to God if you are anything like me you, will know that it’s very difficult. Well, the bible also recognises that prayer is a struggle (Col 4:12) and that it does not come naturally to us. That is why we find many commands in the bible to pray at all times. Also in the verse above, Paul reminds us of three things as we use our privilege to speak to God:
“Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.”
- Colossians 4:2
Be devoted to prayer
Paul reminded the Christians of Colossae of what God has done for them through Jesus (1:13-14), that Jesus is supreme to everything (15ff), that he is the substance of the law (2:17) and the one who is their life and hope of glory (3:4). Having exhorted them to put their sin to death (3:5ff), put on godliness (3:10ff) and live in harmony with each other (3:18ff). He then encourages them to devote themselves to prayer and be watchful with gratitude. The word devote used here means to continue to do something with intense effort, in spite of difficulties. This word carries with it the intensity and consistency we should have in prayer, giving ourselves to it every time we get it (1 Thes 5:17). This means that we do not just pray when we feel like it or when we are in a good mood but we pray in all circumstances. When things are going well and when things are not going well.
Be alert and thankful
With my experience with prayer, the problem is not only that it is difficult to pray but also how difficult it is to focus while praying. To that end, Paul is saying we should stay alert or be watchful when praying. We should make sure that our hearts and minds are engaged as we speak to our father. I am not sure about you but I sometimes find my mind wandering when I pray. I find myself thinking about what I am going to eat later on the day, thinking about this or that person and wandering down my childhood memories. This then leads me to say meaningless words and vain repetitions. To avoid that Paul says we should stay alert as we pray.
Another tool to deal with a distracted mind and a wandering heart is to intentionally think through what God has done for us and be thankful to Him for that. This is very important as most people approach prayer with a bucket list of what they would like God to do for them. That is not wrong but looking at some of your answered prayers can fill you with gratitude and lift up your faith in who God is even as you come to Him in prayer.
In closing, as Paul exhorted the believers to pray, I also encourage us to devote ourselves to prayer. To be determined to pray for ourselves and others. And if you need help with what to pray for, here is what Paul suggests. Thanking God for others' faith and love (1:4), that God may fill them with the knowledge of His will, that they may live lives that are fruitful and pleasing to God, and that they may have endurance and patience when faced with the struggles of this world (1:9-11). We should also devote ourselves to praying for the gospel to be preached to as many people as possible in a clear and understandable way (4:3-4). We should also devote ourselves to praying for ourselves to also show gratitude to God for His salvation, to use the opportunities granted by him to share the gospel and to speak to others in a Christ-glorifying way (4:5-6).
So though prayer does not come naturally to us, we are called to devote ourselves to it watchfully by engaging our minds and hearts praying with gratitude to our Father who has given us the privilege to speak to Him through Jesus.
