Praying Your Earnest Desire

When was the last time you prayed for someone other than yourself, and what did you ask God to do in his or her life? When was the last time you prayed for someone simply because they came to mind? In the hustle and bustle of our days, I believe we tend to miss tremendous opportunities to sow into the lives of others. It really doesn't matter who they are, whether we get along with them or not, it is a good thing to pray a sincere prayer of faith for somebody else.

I thought of that as I was reading through Paul's letter to the Colossians, who, when he heard of their love, wrote in part, "since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (1:9-11). I absolutely love that prayer, not only because there's no mention of material blessings, as important as those were, but primarily because Paul recognized the things that were most important in the life of the believer. Above everything else, we all need to be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. We all need to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in our knowledge of God. We all need to be strengthened with his might unto all patience. Yet, more times than not, we do not pray that prayer for ourselves.

How about if we all prayed for those things for someone else? I believe Paul's prayer reflected his earnest desire for his hearers. What is your earnest desire for the next person that crosses your mind? The next person you speak with? Regardless of whether the thought or sight of such a person causes you to smile or frown , why not pray for them? Just maybe, they could really use your prayers. And not only that, but someone reading this could very well be praying for you.