knowing God's will (Colossians 1:1-14)

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Colossians 1:1-14


Paul prays for the Colossians that "you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding..." (Colossians 1:9).

This is a prayer we can pray, and from which we can learn. I do find it helpful to use Scriptural prayers like these. Frankly, I need to remember to use them more often; so often I don't have the depth and breadth in my prayers that these prayers have. [However, I will say that since Lent I have been praying through Morning Prayer, and that has helped...]

So Paul prays that they be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Do you know anyone who wants to know God's will?? First, he ties it in with wisdom and understanding. To begin with, this would be a good study (check out James 1:5-8; 3:13-18; Proverbs 3,4,8,9).

He prays this so that they would "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him." This seems to be done by "bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." In verse 6 he said that "in the whole world the gospel is bearing fruit and growing - as it does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God." (John the Baptist talks a couple of times about bearing fruit in today's gospel, Matthew 3:7-12)

When we pray for the knowledge of God's will, I think the big picture will have these qualities:
- knowing God's will, in wisdom and understanding
- showing God's will, which always includes fruitful "good works" (healthy, nourishing, beautiful) - knowing and working out God's will not just be for me and my personal (and selfish-centered) life
- growing in the knowledge of God (which would include continuing around this process), in love, in likeness, in faith and love and hope (vs. 4-5)

The next part of the prayer is also a part of this first part, but I'll leave it there for you to pray and work out...
"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 qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saint in light..." (vs. 11-12)