Changing People Through Prayer

Colossians 1:9-14
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. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Look around, and you'll find people who need to make changes in their lives. Maybe you have a sister who does not know Christ or a believing neighbor who struggles to tame a gossiping tongue. The most powerful way to effect change in another person's life--or your own--is by praying. God, through the apostle Paul, has given us a prayer pattern that is Christ-centered and specific.

Too often, believers are lazy in prayer. We say, "Lord, bless so-and-so" without giving any thought to what form the blessing should take. God doesn't work in generalities; He moves deliberately in people's lives. And He's pleased when we use His Word in communicating with Him. The prayer from Colossians chapter one includes God's greatest desires for His children. When we go before Him and read the name of a friend or family member-- or our own--into this passage, we are praying His specific will for that person.

When you pray these Colossians verses, watch for transformation. The Lord delights in responding to requests that someone be filled with knowledge of His will and a desire to please Him!

Results may not be instantaneous. We could wait weeks or even years before we see a loved one turn to Christ or finally witness that gossipy neighbor bear loving fruit instead of rotten. But behind the scenes, the Lord is working to build that person's spiritual understanding and impress on him or her a desire to choose a faithful lifestyle. Our responsibility is to keep praying in a Christ-centered and specific manner.