Prayer Subjects

It is very instructive to compare what the apostle Paul prayed about with what Christians today typically pray about, both privately and collectively.

   Paul made mention of the Ephesian saints in his prayers “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give you [the] spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of him, being enlightened in the eyes of your heart, so that ye should know what is the hope of his calling, [and] what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what the surpassing greatness of his power towards us who believe” (Eph. 1: 17-19).

   To the Philippians he prays “that your love may abound yet more and more in full knowledge and all intelligence, that ye may judge of and approve the things that are more excellent, in order that ye may be pure and without offence for Christ’s day (Phil. 1: 9, 10).

   To the Colossians he could say “we give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ continually [when] praying for you, having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love which ye have towards all the saints, on account of the hope which [is] laid up for you in the heavens … For this reason we also, from the day we heard [of your faith and love], do not cease praying and asking for you, to the end that ye may be filled with the full knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, [so as] to walk worthily of the Lord unto all well-pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing by the true knowledge of God … always combating earnestly for you in prayers, to the end that ye may stand perfect and complete in all [the] will of God” (Col. 1: 3-5, 9-10; 4: 12).

   The tone is elevated, and the subject matter is deep and profound. Here is a servant of the Lord who, though not unmindful of the trials and tribulations of the wilderness journey, has his focus firmly fixed on that which is eternal. How do our prayers compare?