"Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving." Colossians 4:2
What an interesting, somewhat puzzling, yet convicting verse. Tucked in between a command to slave owners and a prayer request, it's so short, if you're not careful, you'll miss it. But despite its small size, there's certainly a lot to learn from it! We'll divide it into three parts: 1) devote yourselves to prayer, 2) stay alert in it, and 3) with thanksgiving.
"Devote yourselves to prayer ..."
The first word really sets the tone for this first phrase: devote. Don't just dabble in prayer, try it out, use it occasionally, or only when you need it, pray just in church, or only in devotions. Devote yourselves to prayer. Make it a top priority. Think about it constantly. Pray without ceasing. Never let your devotion to it waver.
Now I'm just going to admit that prayer is something I struggle with. Often, I find myself not devoted to prayer. Not because I don't want to be; simply because I forget. I struggle with praying without ceasing, thinking about it constantly, making it a top priority. Maybe you feel like me, and prayer is something that you find yourself often struggling with too. So it's for people like you and me that I made a list of ways to practically "devote [our]selves to prayer."
What an interesting, somewhat puzzling, yet convicting verse. Tucked in between a command to slave owners and a prayer request, it's so short, if you're not careful, you'll miss it. But despite its small size, there's certainly a lot to learn from it! We'll divide it into three parts: 1) devote yourselves to prayer, 2) stay alert in it, and 3) with thanksgiving.
"Devote yourselves to prayer ..."
The first word really sets the tone for this first phrase: devote. Don't just dabble in prayer, try it out, use it occasionally, or only when you need it, pray just in church, or only in devotions. Devote yourselves to prayer. Make it a top priority. Think about it constantly. Pray without ceasing. Never let your devotion to it waver.
Now I'm just going to admit that prayer is something I struggle with. Often, I find myself not devoted to prayer. Not because I don't want to be; simply because I forget. I struggle with praying without ceasing, thinking about it constantly, making it a top priority. Maybe you feel like me, and prayer is something that you find yourself often struggling with too. So it's for people like you and me that I made a list of ways to practically "devote [our]selves to prayer."
- Have a prayer buddy. Having someone to keep you accountable and pray with you is awesome! Mom is my prayer buddy, and I find that I'm in prayer so much more because she's there to encourage me to pray and help keep me accountable.
- Set a designated prayer time each day. Mom and I meet to pray at 8:30 every morning, and we sit down and pray through the day. We discuss what I have on, and then pray through those things. I have a friend who specifically marks out three times a day to pray by herself. Having that set time is a really good way to keep you in prayer.
- Read godly books on prayer. A great one that I read was "A Praying Life," by Paul E. Miller. My parents read another good one called "Praying Backwards" by Bryan Chapell. Books on prayer can help give you more ways to have a prayer-centered life.
- Pray throughout your devotions. This is another one Mom taught me. While I read through my Bible during my private devotions, I pray throughout it. I'll read a portion of Scripture and then pause to pray.
- Have a prayer chart. This is a helpful list that I have that is divided into days of the week. Each day I have different people, situations, and groups that I pray for. This will also help you in remembering more people to pray for.
These are only a few ways, but I hope they are helpful to you. As Christians, we must devote ourselves to prayer, as Paul so graciously reminded the church in Colossae. But there's more in this verse that Paul discloses. We'll look at the rest in What Colossians Says About Prayer: Part 2.