Wisdom Wednesday: A Prayer for Wisdom, Part 2

                                                            A Prayer for Wisdom PART 2                               

Submitted by Debbie’s Dad

 

    For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully  giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:9-12

 

Last week, we looked at Paul’s opening of his epistle to the believers at Philippi. His emphasis was that their love would abound in knowledge and insight to glorify God and gain discernment, purity, and fruitfulness. This week we look at Paul’s very similar prayer for the church at Colosse. (and next week, we look at his prayer for the Ephesians). All three of these prayers are rooted in the wisdom from the Word of God.

In the second chapter, Paul encourages them, “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” (Col. 2:6); they received Christ in faith – so they must walk by faith (just as he told other believers in 2 Cor. 11:4 and Gal. 1:6) So, Paul prays for specific things in today’s verses 9-12 – he prays for three things:

First, He Prays for knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Paul prays that the believers will know God’s will (what to do) as a believer in Christ. They will gain this practical decision-making ability through spiritual wisdom and understanding. These attributes were necessary for the believers to confront the many threats they faced - threats to their very faith! Later in the epistle, Paul enumerates some of the threatening concepts (false wisdom of the world system; heresies) that we also face today:

•         Philosophy – (2:8-10) Belief in intellect, tradition, worldly principles, even atheism.
•       Legalism – (2:11-17) Belief in attaining righteousness by outward behavior.
•       Mysticism (2:18-19) Belief in mystical angel worship and false humility.
•       Asceticism (2: 20-22) Belief in achieving righteousness by abstinence

Next, He prays that they will live a life worthy of the Lord. This worthy life will please their heavenly Father and will bear spiritual fruit. Living like this will cause them to grow in their relationship with the Father and grow their personal knowledge of Him and His ways. In his prayer for the Philippian believers, Paul mentioned that such a life will produce righteous fruit (most are listed in the well-known passage in Galatians 5:22–23.

Finally, He prays that they will be strengthened with The Father’s Power. Relying on God’s power, the believers would have great endurance (or perseverance) and patience to endure the challenges to their faith. This means Paul prayed for their ability to graciously remain firm in their faith over the long haul. And this endurance should be characterized by joyful thankfulness to their Heavenly Father.

The Essence of His Prayer

Paul prayed that the believers would have spiritual wisdom and understanding to know God’s will to live worthy and pleasing to God, fruitful, growing, strengthened, enduring, and thankful to God throughout their life.   

As we noted last week, Paul’s prayer applies to us too- as we grow in wisdom, abound in love, bear spiritual fruit, all to the glory and praise of God. 

 

 

Wisdom Wednesday: A Prayer for Wisdom

 A Prayer for Wisdom

Submitted by Debbie’s Dad

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11 (NASB95)

 

In today’s verse, Paul opens his epistle to the believers at Philippi, dear friends he had not seen for a decade and yearned to see again. Paul was about 800 miles away, in a Roman Jail in chains. Yet he wanted the believers at the churches in Philippi to know how he loved them and how he prayed for them.

In the verses preceding these 3 verses, Paul tells them he thanks God whenever he remembers them and joyfully prays for them constantly (verse 3). Paul has them in his heart and affectionately longs for them (verses 7 and 8). He even considers them co-participants to share the Gospel message (verse 5).

After those introductions, He tells them what he is praying for them in verses 9-11—he prays for three things:

First, He Prays for Abounding Love in Wisdom

Paul prays that their love will abound (overflow) because of their growing personal knowledge (Greek epignosis, a much-used word in the New Testament) of God, and their insight [Greek aisthēsis - this is the only use of this word in the New Testament) into His Ways. This is true wisdom – to know God and his ways! The world will know us by our love – a love founded in wisdom – knowing God personally and knowing His ways.

Next, He prays for Fruitfulness.

This love will enable us to discern the best things to do and live sincerely and blamelessly. We will be tested, and we must determine what to choose, how to respond, what to avoid, what will glorify God, and what will grieve Him. This is a lifelong challenge to remain sincere and pure in all we do. As Paul emphasizes – “until the day of Christ.” And this life will produce righteous fruit (most are listed in the well-known passage in Galatians 5:22–23.

Finally, He prays for the Best Result.

The goal of this kind of wisdom, love, and discernment is the glory and praise of God. Our lives can produce 2 results of eternal value: 1) we can glorify God or reveal His character in our lives, and 2) we can bring praise to God by our life- redeemed from sin and willfully living in His love, discernment, and righteous living.    

The Essence of His Prayer

Looking at these three elements of Paul’s prayer in reverse, we see that he was praying for a result (God’s glory) by means of their pure, blameless, and fruitful life – all based on the wisdom of knowing God and the discernment of His ways.  

Paul’s prayer applies to us too as we grow in wisdom, abound in love, bear spiritual fruit, all to the glory and praise of God.