HAVE
NOT CEASED
…we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may
be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and
understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to
Him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of
God.
Colossians
1:9-11
Listen
to the richness of this prayer. These
scripture verses are full of God’s desire for us. He wants all prayer to continue to direct focus
on the knowledge of Him. Doing so may or
may not yield answers we pray for. So be
it. To gain knowledge of God is the
answer in and of itself.
Not
only are these words rich in meaning, they are full of comfort as they begin
with the phrase have not ceased.
This is one of the most encouraging phrases in the Bible. To know that prayers never stop is a
tremendous source of tenderness and strength.
We all go through our strong/weak valleys and seasons in life but we go
through them at different times. It is
good to know that when some members of the brethren are strong, they can pray
for those who are weaker and vice-versa.
We all get our chance to be on either side of the prayer exchange. In fact, we spend a Christian life
alternating between these places. That
is life, full of change and changing needs.
But as a member of God’s family, there are
others who are praying fervently and have not ceased praying. Above all, it is assuring to know Jesus
Himself never ceases praying for us.
As
we prayerfully keep in mind this Lenten Season (and throughout the year) how
much Jesus gave to secure our eternal destiny, it is worth remembering that
Jesus submitted Himself to prayer before He went to the cross. He prayed without ceasing. When we reread His prayer-thoughts in that
dark hour, we know that even though Jesus was in communion with the Father,
Jesus experienced struggle and pain.
Jesus pressed on even though the answer was a painful one. But ultimately it would be the answer to all
prayers. It still is.
Love
is the reason Christ did what was hard and forgave what was unlovely. Love is the reason Christ lives today for our
time here on earth and for our time with His believers in Eternity. Love is the reason Christ prays for us with prayers
that have not ceased. With Christ as our
model may we be moved to intercede for one another in prayer and simply let
Jesus be the answer as to why we do.
Lord, You taught us how to pray.
You made it a cornerstone of Your earthly
ministry, and it is a mainstay of Your time as You are seated at the right Hand
of Our Father in Heaven. Blessed be Your
Name, Jesus. Blessed be Your act of dying before rising—acts of love. Blessed we are only because You, Lord,
have taught us to pray and to keep connected with Thee and others via the bond
of prayer. We love You. Amen.
Chris Ann Waters