Nothing has encouraged my relationships with other believers like praying consistently for them. I used to feel embarrassed by my often-offered platitude, “I’ll pray for you,” because I seldom followed through, and I knew it. When I did happen to remember to pray for someone as promised, it usually amounted to an awkward and rushed, “Lord, help them.”
Now there’s nothing wrong with a “Lord, help them,” prayer. Sometimes there aren’t words to express the anguish we feel in prayer, and for that we have the Holy Spirit stepping in on our behalf and offering the prayers we need to the Father, even when our words fail us (see Romans 8:26-27). The Lord knows your heart; He’s not expecting prayers that are punctuated with five-syllable words or rich in flowery prose. He just expects you to pray.
When the Lord convicted me that the bulk of my prayer life consisted of hurried “help them” prayers and little else, I began a more organized approach to intercession that carved out room for more intentional prayer for others. It was then that I realized I wasn’t sure how to pray for other people. Did I pray for success? Happiness? Trouble-free living?
Thankfully, the Lord equips us to obey His commands, and we have some helpful examples of intercessory prayer in the Word. There are several I could pull from, and Paul’s prayer for the Colossian church in Colossians 1 is where I am currently anchoring my prayers for others. Paul’s prayer gets to the heart of what every believer needs, and that is to be filled with the knowledge of God.
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. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:9-14
Paul prays for the Colossians to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to bear fruit in every good work, to please the Lord, to endure with patience and joy, to live with gratitude for what God has done in saving them—but all of this is rooted in one central request: growth in the knowledge of God.
The primary way to grow in our knowledge of God is through His Word. Sometimes we forget that when we’re studying Scripture, we are learning a Person, not just reading a book. The Bible isn’t a regular book! It is God’s chosen means of revelation of Himself to us. Growing in our understanding of God’s good character, His love, His holiness, His might, His wisdom has a transformative effect on our lives. Dwelling on Him actually changes us and makes us more like Him! Fixing our gaze on God can increase our holiness and wither our sin. Simply put, we become what we behold, and when we behold God diligently in His Word, He conforms us more and more into His image (see Romans 12:1-2).
We become what we behold, and when we behold God diligently in His Word, He conforms us more and more into His image. Share on XSo when praying for believers to bear fruit and persevere in the faith, that prayer is ultimately anchored in a petition for them to behold God in His Word, to develop a hunger for the Scriptures, and to value and treasure it the way God does. From that will flow fruitfulness and growth and joy. We cannot grow in the faith apart from the spiritual wisdom that comes from the Word of God and the help of the Holy Spirit.
My prayer for my brothers and sisters in Christ usually ends with a plea that they will love Christ more than anything and that they will be happiest in Him. These are the results of growing in the knowledge of God: joy and contentment in Christ. As I pray Colossians 1 over the believers on my prayer list, I can think of no better request than that they find their joy in Christ. Everything else—provision, health, contentment—everything else finds its rightful place under the umbrella of knowing and becoming like the Lord. Those other struggles we pray for (and we should pray for them!) are rightly viewed when a believer’s lens is the enduring Word and faithfulness of God.
Glenna Marshall is married to her pastor, William, and lives in rural Southeast Missouri where she tries and fails to keep up with her two energetic sons. She is the author of The Promise is His Presence (P&R) and Everyday Faithfulness (Crossway), and Memorizing Scripture (Moody). Connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Ranelle Dunn says
You pray this for me anytime you feel led!