Epaphras, who is one of
you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings.
He is always wrestling in
prayer for you,
that you may stand firm in all the will of
God, mature and fully assured.
Colossians 4:12, NIV
We’ve all heard of “intercessory
prayer”. We’ve also heard about people who are “prayer warriors.” Neither the term
“intercessory prayer” nor the term “prayer warrior” is found in Scripture.
Nevertheless, these concepts are entirely biblical. There are numerous passages
and verses which illustrate intercessory prayer and which encourage us to be
prayer warriors. In this post, we will focus mostly on one such verse,
Colossians 4:12.
“for you”
Paul tells the Colossians
that Epaphras was praying “for you.” This reminds us that intercessory prayer
consists of prayers for other people. Of course, we should pray for ourselves.
There are many examples of praying for our own forgiveness, needs, and strength
throughout the Bible. Intercessory prayer puts into practice the second
greatest commandment. It is a way of loving others as we love ourselves. When we
are in trouble, we cry out to God in prayer and ask Him to help us. We should
do the same for others.
“that you may stand firm”
It is impossible
for me to read the words “stand firm” without thinking about Paul’s famous
passage on spiritual warfare in Ephesians. In that passage, the same Greek word
which is here translated “stand firm” occurs three times (Ephesians 6:11;
Ephesians 6:13; Ephesians 6:14). This reminds us that intercessory prayer is
part of spiritual warfare. We are praying for God to help, strengthen, protect,
and give courage to our brothers and sisters who are under attack from our
spiritual enemies.
“in all the will of God”
This reminds us
that intercessory prayer is an application of one of the great requests found
in the Lord’s Prayer, “your will be done” (Matthew 6:10). We are praying for God’s
will in the life of another, and we are praying that they themselves will stand
in God’s will and not be led into temptation (Matthew 6:13).
“mature and fully assured”
When we intercede
for others, we shouldn’t merely pray concerning their circumstances. Of course,
we will often pray for any specific problems (health, financial, relational,
etc.) they are facing. But our prayers should go deeper. We also pray for their
maturity in Christ. We pray that their faith in God will be strong and that
they will grow in knowing and trusting Him.
“wrestling”
One of the things
which distinguishes intercessory prayer from other forms of prayer is its
intensity. Intercessory prayer feels like a struggle because it is a struggle. The
Greek word for “wrestling” in Colossians 4:12 is agōnizomai. A closely related Greek word, agōnia, is translated “anguish” and describes Christ’s own intense
struggle in prayer:
And being in anguish [agōnia],
he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the
ground. (Luke 22:44 NIV)
“always”
When Paul says that
Epaphras “is always wrestling in prayer for you,” he obviously didn’t mean that
literally every minute Epaphras was involved in intense intercessory prayer. He
did mean that intense intercessory prayer was not a one time or occasional
practice for Epaphras. It was a regular, ongoing ministry.
“a servant of Christ Jesus”
Just before
describing Epaphras’s intercessory prayer, Paul tells us that he was “a servant
of Christ Jesus.” There are many ways to serve our Lord. One way to serve Him
is through intercessory prayer for others. When we are praying for others, we
are serving Jesus!
Intercessory Prayer is for All of Us
While I don’t deny
that some Christians are called to a special focus on intercessory prayer, this
should never become an excuse for any of us not to make intercessory prayer an
important part of our lives. At the beginning of the same chapter where Paul gives
Epaphras as an example for us, he urges all Christians to be devoted to prayer:
Devote
yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.
At
the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the word, to
speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains, so that I may make it
known as I should. (Colossians 4:2-4 CSB17)
In Romans, Paul
asks other Christians to join in his struggle through prayer. Here, the Greek
word for “join in struggle” [sunagōnizomai]
has the same root as the word [agōnizomai]
for struggling in prayer used in Colossians 4:12.
I
urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the
Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. (Rom. 15:30 NIV)
May God call and
strengthen you to grow in intercessory prayer for others. As you do, you can
pray with faith knowing that God will be using His great power and wisdom to
help those you pray for and to further His good purposes in their lives and in
our world, to the glory of Jesus Christ!
Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .
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