Dietrich Bonhoffer was a leader in the church of Germany at the
time of Hitler's rise to power. He opposed Hitler and was imprisoned
in 1943. He did not cease to influence people, however, even in prison.
He inspired others by his courage. The guards were supposed to be his
enemies, but they so respected him that they smuggled out his writings
that have influenced millions since.
One of the men who was in prison with Bonhoffer was the English officer
Payne Best. He survived the war and wrote this account in a
book. I want to share it with you because it represents the kind of
example of Christlikeness that we see in the Apostle Paul, who wrote
the letter of Colossians from his prison cell in Rome. Best wrote-
"Bonhoffer-was all humility and sweetness, he always seemed to me to
diffuse an atmosphere of happiness, of joy in every smallest event in
life--He was one of the very few men I have ever met to whom his God
was real and close to him." Then after Best describes a service that
Bonhoffer held for the prisoners on Sunday, April 8, 1945 he wrote,
"He had hardly finished his last prayer when the door opened and two
evil looking men in civilian clothes came in ;and said 'prisoner
Bonhoffer, get ready to come with us.' Those words, come with us-for
all the prisoners they had come to mean one thing only--the scaffold.
We bade him good-bye-he drew me aside-this is the end, he said. For
me the beginning of life. Next day, at Flossenburg, he was hanged."
This courageous optimism in the most negative of circumstances is
one of the characteristics we see in the Apostle Paul. In his prison
epistles we do not hear any whining or complaining, but only words of
joy and thanksgiving. Paul had indeed learned to be content in every
state of life. He too faced death at any time, yet he wanted to use his
time to write and encourage others. His negative experience has led to
positive results in the lives of millions through history.
George Jackson, in a tribute to Robertson Nicole, the editor of the
British Weekly said, "He flung down a bunch of keys for me, and has
set me to opening doors for myself on every side of me." This is what
Paul has done for the Colossians and for the whole church of Christ.
He has thrown down a bunch of keys that enable us to open doors to
God's best on every side. As we focus on v.3, we can see that Paul has
given us three keys to a better prayer life. The first key is-
I. THE PARTNERSHIP OF PRAYER.
Notice Paul says, "We always thank God." He does not say I thank
God, but he included his partner Timothy. The idea of a prayer
partner is very Biblical. Jesus said prayer is more powerful when two
agree on what they desire from God. In Matt. 18:19-20 we read,
"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you
ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two
or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
It seems as if God has designed prayer to be a promoter of unity,
fellowship and brotherhood. He has promised to answer more
effectively those prayers that come from a partnership. This is a key
to a better prayer life, but it is often neglected. We have potential
power in prayer that we seldom use. Cabeza deVaca tells of how he
and his companion explorer went from Florida to the Pacific between
1528-1536. On one occasion they were lost and starving and in a state
of despair when they were found by Indians. The Indians felt that since
they were white men they should have the power to heal some of their
sick. They were miserable themselves and now they were expected to
heal others or die. He wrote, "We prayer for strength. We prayed on
bended knees and in agony of hunger." Then they blessed the sick
Indians, and to their amazement the ailing redmen said they were
made well. DeVaca wrote, Being Europeans, we thought we had given
away to doctors and priests our ability to heal. But here it was, still in
our possession. It was ours after all; we were more than we thought we
were."
The fact is, all of us are more than we think we are. If we form
partnerships in prayer we will have a key that will open many doors
that otherwise might never open. When Jesus taught the disciples to
pray, He made it clear he expected them to pray in partnership. He
used only plurals. It was our Father, give us this daily bread, forgive
us, and lead us not into temptation.
Every believer needs to develop some relationship with another
believer where they feel like true partners in prayer. In prayer, the
loner is a loser. We may pray much alone, but we need to know that
there is someone else who is one with us in our praying. When
Lavonne and I began to hold hands each night, and talk over requests,
and agree on what we desire to bring before God, it lead to so many
answers we stopped keeping track of them. We are convinced any
couple would be enriched if they would begin this practice of
partnership in prayer. Learn how to enjoy the we of prayer. In verse
9 Paul says again, "We have not ceased to pray for you." A we prayer
is a better prayer than an I prayer, and so the more you pray in
partnership the better prayer life you will have.
II. THE PERSISTENCE OF PRAYER.
Paul says, "We always give thanks." Always refers to the
persistence of Paul's prayer. The modern language Bible puts it, "We
constantly give thanks to God."
In verse 9 we see this emphasis again, "and from the day we heard of
it we have not ceased to pray for you." Paul did not just say prayers,
he prayed, and there is a world of difference. I can say a prayer in a
matter of seconds, but to pray takes up a part of my consciousness,
and becomes a real concern of my life. This kind of prayer does not
cease, for it is a persistent factor in ones life. Paul wrote this letter as
a part of his prayer concern. Prayer is not only asking God for His
guidance, it is the listening and responding to His guidance. Paul's
response in writing this letter is a part of the circle of prayer. It is
Gods answering his prayer for them through him by writing to them
the things they need to hear.
Persistence in prayer means there is some listening and follow-up.
It is not just flashing a telegram to God, but a listening for an answer,
and putting feet to your prayer by doing what you can to be a part of
the answer. This is another partnership in prayer, for it is a
partnership with God. God does not want to work alone any more
than we do. He wants to work with us and have us work with Him to
achieve His purpose in history.
In verse 9 Paul says he has prayed for them to be filled with the
knowledge of God's will. He asked God to do this for them, and then
he wrote this letter to tell them the will of God and thus, he was an
answer to his own prayer. He was a partner with God. Much
unanswered prayer is due to our not persisting in prayer until we see
how we can be partners with God in answering it. Persistence is a test
of our sincerity. Much prayer is a matter of routine and can easily be
superficial, but if you persist and thank God always for certain aspects
of life you demonstrate a true and deep interest. By his persistent
prayers Paul proves he really cares about the Colossian Christians.
Paul makes it clear that he expects them to also pray for him. In
4:2-3 he writes, "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and
thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our
message....." Paul wants their partnership in prayer too, and we thus
can conclude that the number of people caring about a matter enough
to persist in seeking God about it makes a difference with God.
Persistence is a principle that is necessary for success in any area of
life. The more you use things the more they wear out and become
useless, but the more you use the things of the spirit the more they
develop and become more useful. Professor Phelps in his
"Autobiography with Letters", tells of how he hated his first concert
of classical music. He decided to keep on trying to enjoy it and the day
came when the symphony became one of his greatest pleasures. The
first time he read Browning he was not impressed, but he persisted in
reading until he came to almost idolize the man's writings. If we keep
at something and persist in seeking its value we can come to love and
value what we did not care about at all. This is the point of persistence
in prayer. We give up to soon and lose the joy of answered prayer
that would make it a greater pleasure rather than a chore. What do
you pray for always?
III. THE POSITIVE OF PRAYER
The prominent part of Paul's prayer was thanksgiving. That is the
positive aspect of prayer that is so easily neglected. Lack of thanks in
our prayer is not a sign that we are not close to God, however, for this
is a common lack toward those we care about. We seldom thank our
mate or children for their acts of love and service on our behalf. We
tend to take them for granted, and so it is with God. His goodness is so
common that there is no end to the things we could thank Him for
daily. But the commonplace is soon taken for granted and we forget to
be grateful for the blessings all around us.
Paul had the amazing ability to be ever grateful for the
commonplace. Paul would have made a marvelous husband. Imagine a
wife who is thanked and praised every time she does as act of love and
service. Thank you dear for making that meal, and for making the
bed, and for cleaning the house, and for getting the kids off to school,
and thanks for washing my shirt, and on and on it could go. Paul could
be giving thanks without ceasing. It was not as if he had no problems
to struggle with, for Paul had perpetual battles and needed plenty of
help and encouragement, but he never neglected the positive aspect of
prayer, which is thanksgiving.
Because prayer was positive for Paul, it was not a bore and a chore.
He could hardly wait to thank God again for all His grace. Have you
ever felt so grateful to someone you could not wait to see them and
express your gratitude? You can't be satisfied until they know how
much you appreciate them and their acts of love. Paul felt this way
toward God every day, and all day of every day.
Prayer is basically the desire to be in touch with God. That desire is
stronger when you want to express your gratitude to Him. There is no
bad way to pray for any prayer is better than no prayer, but there is a
better way to pray and that is with a positive attitude of thanksgiving.
Come to God thanking Him for what He has already done before you
plead for Him to do more for you. The best reason God has to answer
your prayer is because you are so grateful for His previous answers.
Lack of thanks is the best reason to deny further blessings. Thanks is
the one thing we can give to God to express how we feel about all He
has given to us. God is to gain in this two way communication of
prayer too, and the only way He can and be pleased is by our being
positive in thanksgiving.
Paul was always a positive thinker and, no doubt, the reason he
could be, in spite of all his trials, was because he was always looking
for the things he could thank God for in his every day life. If we look
for them they are everywhere in our lives too. If you will be positive in
how you see God's blessings all around you, you will be positive in
your prayer life by being ever thankful, and this in turn will make you
more aware of your positive blessings.
The prayer here is all positive. Most of the time we spend in prayer
we are praying for problems. It is almost embarrassing not to have a
problem for then what are people to pray for in your life? Like the 8
year old boy who was in Sunday School and all the class was sharing
prayer requests and as an 8 year old he had to come up with
something significant, and so he asked for prayer that his father might
give up drinking. He had a can of beer he got from somewhere that sat
in the frig for 7 months. The word spread, and finally got back home.
Now he had something to pray about. He began to pray he would
make it to nine.
This story illustrates the paradox that faces Christians. If your life
is too good, you get little attention. You are not on anyone's prayer
list. It is problems that get you on the list. The more problems you
have and the more struggles with life and sin, the more attention you
get. Get it altogether and you are ignored. The Christian who is
always sinking in some quicksand who gets all the attention. The wheel
that squeals gets the oil.
The longest letters of Paul are to those churches with the most
problems, and most sinful behavior. It is a universal principle. It is the
sick who get the attention of the doctor. It is those in trouble who get
the attention of the lawyer. It is those with car problems who get the
attention of the mechanic.
Yet, in spite of this, the goal of the Christian is to press on to
perfection and have such a positive life that there is no need to be on
the prayer list for many problems. We all need to be on the list for the
positive, however, and be lifted up in the way Paul does for the
Colossians.
