What To Pray (When You Don't Know What To Pray)

Prayer is one of the greatest blessings and privileges of the Christian. It is only possible because of the shed blood of Christ that we would have direct, uninhibited access to the throne of the Father whenever we wish. But what if there are times when you go to the throne and you do not know what to pray? Maybe you want to pray for a friend or coworker but aren't sure of anything specific. Maybe you are praying for a complete stranger that you don't even know the name of. Does the Scripture give us a prayer we can pray when we don't know specifically how we should pray? Over the next few posts, I will break down one of the most beautiful prayers of the apostle Paul in Colossians.

The passage this series will be looking at is Colossians 1: 9-14

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
10 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.
11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ~ Colossians 1:9-14 (ESV)

Paul is writing to a church that he did not start. A few verses back, he mentions a guy named Epaphras, who was "a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf" who told Paul their "love in the Spirit" (verse 13). This is the backing context that is being mentioned in verse 14; Paul is referencing what Epaphras made known to him about the Colossian church.

Paul's next remark is the remark that describes how he prayed for the church - "we have not ceased to pray for you" (verse 14). This point is a point worthy of a whole post itself (and hence why the first post of this series is about it). Paul is openly exhibiting the fruit of steadfastness in his life when he claims (and we believe is true) that "we have not ceased to pray for you". He was ongoing in his prayers for the Colossians. The point of this post is to ask, "Are we being steadfast in prayer?"

This is a point of examination for every Christian. Could we say that we are "pray[ing] without ceasing" (1 Thess 5:17) in our lives? Maybe we have given up on praying for people we want to see saved, or our circumstances that test and try us. Even as I write this I can remember a few things that I have given up on. Steadfastness must be shown in prayer, as prayer is a part of our daily walk with Christ. It is a smaller part of the big picture - the race we are running.

The next post will begin breaking apart Paul's prayer. Before this prayer gets dissected, our foundation must be set. Pray for steadfastness in your prayer life, and ask God to help you demonstrate that fruit in your life.


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