Article

 Rick Ferrell - October, 2025

Although Paul was consumed with ministry, he never allowed prayer to escape him. He never allowed his work for the Lord to rob him of the primary necessity in maintaining his relationship with the Lord, and that is prayer.

Colossians 1:9-12 ESV — And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

When Paul says “and so,” the KJV says “for this cause”. The NASB says “for this reason also.”  

What reason is that? Well, everything in the previous passage in verses 3-8: their faith, hope, love and their ability to flourish under the leadership of Epaphras was recognized and found courageous.

From the very day that Paul and Timothy heard of their service and achieving great things for the Lord, they never ceased to pray for them. Paul wrote this letter to the Colossian church around 61 AD while he was imprisoned in Rome. He had never visited this church and had never met the people, but that didn't matter because their reputation preceded them.

Epaphras made it known to Paul of their faith and love; therefore, from the beginning, Paul prayed for them everyday, continuously. Without ceasing.  

Paul's descriptive prayer, that we'll get into later, should be a model for the prayer of every believer for each other. Generally, our mode of prayer is to pray for something once, twice, three times and when we don't get the answer we think we need, we go into crisis mode.

You know what I mean? Have you ever experienced the “crisis mode” before?

It's in those times that worry, fear, and anxiety come in like a flood and you begin to doubt if God really heard you. Well, I've said it before and it bears repeating: God hears and answers every prayer. Prayer never has and never will change the mind of a Sovereign God, but it will change us to be more conformed to His image.

But Paul is not at a crisis moment. As I said, his prayer is a model for us all to be praying for each other. Paul is working with God on behalf of the Colossians. He's doing his part and he's expecting God to do His. Each time we pray for each other, we are doing our part, investing in their lives in the most intimate, personal way we possibly can. 

James 5:16 ESV — Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

When we intercede for our brothers and sisters, we too are working with God on behalf of their needs. We, with God, are working and He is answering. We are building our lives into the life of the one we are praying for.

Colossians 4:12 ESV — Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

Paul prayed. He kept that open communication with the Lord for the Colossian church, but he also “asked” on their behalf. He petitioned the Lord for them, and It's what he petitioned the Lord for that should enlighten us in our seeking the Lord.

That is our focus today.

Colossians 1:9 ESV — And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 

I want to point out that the only way for us to receive the right knowledge of his will is “IN” all spiritual wisdom and understanding. You cannot separate knowing God's will, from spiritual wisdom and understanding.  When we try, we get off track. We begin to create our own path. We veer from God's divine will and lean to our own wisdom and understanding. But it takes wisdom and understanding from the Spirit, to properly know his will.

That's how we know we follow God and not man.  Man's wisdom, especially our own wisdom will only get us stuck in a ditch. No, it takes the inspiration of the Spirit upon the heart and life of the believer for them to fully understand the will of God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV — Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Our understanding, our inspiration, our interpretation of the Word comes only through the Holy Spirit of God. 

17th Century English Puritan Theologian John Owen said: “The only unique public authentic and infallible interpreter of Scripture is none other than the author of Scripture Himself and that is God the Holy Spirit.”

The plan of God in your life and for your life has been appointed according to…

Romans 9:16 ESV — So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

So, why pray?

Allow me a few moments to reiterate some things we already know of why we should pray:

1. Scripture teaches that the Lord listens to the prayers of His people.

1 John 5:14-15 ESV — And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

2. When we pray together, we see God take action.

Jonah 3:8-10 ESV — but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

Acts 12:5 ESV — So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

I love this account in the Bible…

Acts 12:6-17 ESV — Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.

3. God said if we pray He will answer.

Mark 11:24 ESV — Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

4. God will open doors for us to be effective in fulfilling the Great Commission

Colossians 4:3-4 ESV — At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

Paul lived out and practiced each of these principles in his life and ministry. 

So let's go back to Colossians 1 to look at a few details of why Paul prayed for them.

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of his prayer, we'll do that next time. But today I want to point to a few things to hopefully clear up any confusion of the parameters of what the Apostle is saying. 

Colossians 1:9 ESV — And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be FILLED with the knowledge of his will in ALL spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Colossians 1:10 ESV — so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, FULLY pleasing to him: bearing fruit in EVERY good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Colossians 1:11 ESV — being strengthened with ALL power, according to his glorious might, for ALL endurance and patience with joy;

Colossians 1:12 ESV — giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Upon one's initial reading of the text you might think Paul is teaching an expectation of perfection in the life of the believer.

But he's not.

1 Corinthians 13:8-10 ESV — Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV — For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

“WHEN THE PERFECT COMES; THE PARTIAL WILL PASS AWAY.” “NOW I KNOW IN PART; BUT THEN FULLY"

Philippians 3:12 ESV — Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

Paul says I am not perfect but “I press on to make it my own.” 

To PRESS is to “run to catch something.” The Greek means to pursue and to strive swiftly.

So what's he saying?

1 Corinthians 2:6 ESV — Yet among the MATURE we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.

Mature is the same word translated as perfect (TELEIOS). So he is equating maturity to perfection. Yet it is not of this world, or this age or timeframe. It is for a time to come. As our verse in 1 Corinthians says “When the perfect comes.”

I want to go back to a verse I referenced earlier:

Colossians 4:12 ESV — Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand MATURE and fully assured in all the will of God.

There it is again. Mature = Perfect. Fully assured in all the will of God.

So, what's your point, Pastor?

Here's my point. 

In English “perfect” implies that there is nothing more to achieve. Nothing more to gain.

But what Paul is saying here is to be complete or mature. He's saying to “be as good and full as one who was once dead in your sin and now stands justified before God can be.” 

That is the maturity and perfection Paul is expecting and praying for here.

We are to pray for perfection, but understand that perfection in the ultimate sense of the word  (in our English vernacular) will only come when the Perfect One comes and our partial passes.

You may say, “The perfect has come for us. Christ died and rose again and that's what makes us perfect.” 

Well, that's true, but he had already died and rose again when Paul penned these words. That's how we know he's speaking in the future tense.

Readers, I've had to repent recently. I'm not perfect. I've not always kept the right attitude or had the right spirit about some situations I'm going through. There are times when worry, fear, and doubt flood in and drive my thoughts and actions rather than faith, hope, and love and the fruit of my imperfection rises to the top to be put on display for others to see. 

And that… I've had to get under the blood of Christ and cry out “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”

Oswald Chambers said “All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.”

We have not made it yet, but one day we will. Until that day comes, we must strive to be as close to God as we possibly can.

So, when Paul uses the words like ALL, FULLY, EVERY, he is speaking according to where you are at in Christ, and you should always be reaching for more not less. That's maturity, and that's perfection according to God's Word.

Striving to be the very best you can be. Not in the:

• Church

• Family

• Job

• Community

Rather, allow the Holy Spirit of God to be the very best you can be IN HIM. Everything else, these other categories to strive in, will line up and fall into place when you are right, mature, and perfect IN HIM.

This is why we pray!