Skip to main content

God’s Hidden Power Source

                 Though his name appears only three times in the New Testament, you ought to know Epaphras.  What is said of him is not only interesting, but instructive. 
                For example, Colossians 4:12-13 says, “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.  I vouch for him that he is working hard for you”.
                The first thing to notice is that Epaphras is commended for his hard work in prayer for the church.  Sadly, I must admit that I do not always give prayer the attention it deserves.  I pray at the start or the end of meetings.  I may pray before a meal.  If something really worries me, I will pray about it, but what I need to understand is that prayer is not just another thing that Christians do, it is the thing.  Essentially, prayer is the only real spiritual work we have because it is what brings the power of God into our circumstances.  As the saying goes, “When we work, we work.  When we pray, God works”.
                The other interesting thing is the content of Epaphras’ prayers.  When I pray, I ask for things like peace, safety and joy for myself and those around me.  By contrast, Epaphras prayed that the church would, “stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured”.  In other words, while my concerns are often physical and circumstantial, Epaphras prayed for the souls of his friends.  This is even more significant given the fact that the church of his day was being persecuted by the Romans.  In fact, the letter to the Colossians was written from a jail cell.  If anyone needed peace and safety, it was Epaphras and his friends, but he prayed for their faith instead.  In other words, he prayed with a much bigger picture in mind. 
                Epaphras’ example encourages us take prayer most seriously.  It reminds us to pray about the eternal rather than just the temporary.  In doing so, we too will become tuned into what is God is doing around us instead of just doing whatever seems right to us.
                James 4:2 says, “You do not have because you do not ask”. 
                Maybe it is time to become serious about asking.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Article: Grace Changes Everything

               A young man broke into a business and did $5000 damage. As part of his Restorative Justice sentence, he was required to meet with my friend Garth.   Garth believes in making apologies and restitution.   It took several months, but Garth finally convinced the young man that these were necessary steps, so he tried to arrange a meeting with the business owner.                The business owner wanted nothing to do with this situation.   He was angry and wanted a more severe form of justice.   Eventually, however, he agreed to meet the young man to hear what he had to say.                  The young man looked the business owner in the eye an...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: We need a Better Scorecard

                   “Is that a Sun Ice?”                “Excuse me,” I said.                My friend pointed to my new ski jacket and asked again, “Is that a Sun Ice?”                It was 1991 and Sun Ice was the big name in ski wear at the time.   “No” I replied, “I can’t afford one of those”.                “Oh” he said as he lost interest and then just walked away.                I had not seen this friend in more than a year and, sadly, his first ...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: Surprised by God

                 We would be shocked if we could hear the Bible for the first time again.   On every page, something unexpected happens.   The only reason we are not surprised is that the stories are so familiar to us.   Think about some of the unexpected interactions that God has had with his people.                For example, every culture has stories about a creator, but none imagined that God would become part of the creation.   That the creator would lower himself and become human is surprising, to say the least.                Not only did he become one of us, but he also came as a baby.   A tiny, helpless, baby!   If I wer...
Post a Comment
Read more