Praying for the Body of Christ
29th NOVEMBER 2024
And pray for us too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Colossians 4:3–4 NIV
In Colossians 4, Paul was admonishing us to make the most of every opportunity we have as believers to reconcile unbelievers to Christ. He did that by reminding us who our Father in Heaven is, watching how He relates with us and how we relate with unbelievers. He went ahead to give us further instructions on how to carry out this important mission.
Now, one thing he did not fail to mention was prayer. That we should devote ourselves to prayer, to be watchful and thankful. Today’s focus is on verses 3 and 4, as read in the opening scripture. We are being encouraged to pray for those who share the message of the gospel and those who proclaim the mystery of Christ.
It is not enough to know and empathise with missionaries who are in the land where the gospel is not welcomed, we need to pray for them as well. Some may be in chains like Paul and some under spiritual attack.
Remember the Bible says we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and against spiritual wickedness in high places. We ought to pray faithfully, committing missions around the globe and the missionaries into God’s hands.
Secondly, we ought to pray that they may proclaim the message clearly as they should.
As the Bible says in Matthew 10:19–20 “But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you”.
Let us not fail to pray to the Spirit of the Lord to bring unto the body of Christ the remembrance of His word that says He has got us covered.
There is power in praying together for the body of Christ. The account of Acts 12 shows us the power of praying together as one body for the people of God, stating that “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was praying fervently to God for him.” In the end, Peter was safely guided by the angel of the Lord out of prison.
This shows that we have a God who answers us when we pray to Him.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of the Body of Christ. May we honour and cherish it, growing in unity and love. Strengthen us to serve others as Christ served us. Remind us how powerful it is to pray in unity. Let your love guide us in prayer for your church and those who bring the Good News. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Further Reading: Matthew 18:19 and Acts 12:1–16
