Prayer amidst uncertainty Part 2: Strength for Endurance and Patience
Paul continues to show us the priority of prayer in his prayers for the Colossians. In part one, Paul states how God’s will is essential to the life of Colossians amidst the uncertainty of his imprisonment and in the growth of the gospel that continues to grow and bear fruit all over. Knowing the will of God and being filled with the knowledge will enable the saints to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, has them growing in maturity and bearing fruit in every good work as they are deeply filled by the knowledge of God through scripture and by the Holy Spirit.
Paul continues to pray for them still:
”May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you[f] to share in the saints’[g] inheritance in the light.” (Col 1:11 -12)
In this crazy busy and fast-paced digital world, endurance and patience might not be something deemed essential to pray for the saints. It is to Paul.
Paul asks God on behalf of the saint at Colossae for strength to patiently endure the false teachers who are trying to impose their strict rules about eating, drinking and religious festivals. Paul aims in his letter to point to the true reality and ultimate supremacy of Jesus Christ - he wants them to keep a heavenly focus until the Lord returns. On order to achieve that, the saints will have to patiently endure the circumstances they are in until Jesus returns. No one knows the days or the hour - all the more to ask for the strength to endure and patiently until that day comes.
The false teachings have the potential to lure the saints away from the God’s truth in his word. Paul’s suffering and chains can discourage the saints as doubts test their faith and start questioning God’s promises set in the gospel. The saints in their own strength might lose sight of the life -giving truth and give way to temptation of the false teachings and give in to discouragement when faith does not seem to coincide with life as they face present sufferings and hardship.
Therefore patience and endurance is a matter of life and death - that they may be able to withstand the unpleasant and difficult situations, as well as for their hearts to not grow frustrated and hard from the delays, problems, suffering that come with waiting for the the Lords return and God’s promises coming to fruition. They will need the Lord’s power to be able to endure, as the flesh is weak and because of its nature the flesh is always willing to give in to what is contrary to the truth. However, but God is faithful and by his power and through the victory over sin on the cross, the saints are able to stand firm in his word and his will. They are able to walk uprightly in ways that give him honour and praise. They are able to do so with great patience and endurance.
Paul calls the saints to do so with joyful thanks and with faith, for they are endure as heirs to God’s kingdom who has saved them from every darkness, falsehood, rules and regulation through the blood of Jesus.
“and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:12-14).
The world we live in has its own set of rules and ways, which can lure us away from God’s true and life - giving word. Let us be alert and continue to delve deep in God’s word that we may not be easily swayed. This life will have plenty of struggles and difficulties due to sin’s brokenness. Suffering may present itself through persecution for being a Christian. Paul’s prayer teaches us to look up to the Lord and seek strength in his power as he is sovereign and is doing all things through Jesus Christ. Paul teaches us to endure joyfully and with thankfulness because of our status before him redeemed and forgiven and in God’s Kingdom.
