Not Ceased

Not Ceased

By David Brenneman

"For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding." Colossians 1:9 NASB

In reading this morning, after the way I woke up this morning, different things just seemed to stand out to me that I hadn't thought of before. Mentally I had lost a day when I woke up, thinking it was Sunday.  In reading this from Bible Gateway's verse of the day, something else stood out.  A question stood out.

Since the day they heard of it...they began praying specifically for something that God would honor easily as a request in regards to these people.

We often probably don't consider the depth of prayer that Paul encouraged and that he taught to Timothy.  Depth of prayer goes beyond the physical issues and reasons that our eyes see, our ears hear.  Depth of prayer goes to the reasons for those brought to mind.  

In many ways we often stop in prayer when we should only just be getting started.  What's important to God's work in peoplel should be a bit more important than what's gone right or wrong physically in our world.  When Jesus came, lived His sinless life, died on a cross for sin, rose again 3 days later, it wasn't for physical reasons He did it.  He didn't come to save physical bodies.  He didn't come for financial gain or for political power or prestige.  The work of His Father, the "Father's business" He referred to was what wasn't seen by physical eyes...it was Spiritual only.  Looking across a vast group of people He said the fields were white for harvest.

I was still reading in Jeremiah this morning, online at least, my Bible reading has me in Ezekiel, and something else stood out.  Another reason for this world's ending the way it will in 1,007 years plus some, is a full and complete end to anything that could be construed as idolatry or made into it.  All idolatry will end.  Interesting.

But to the opening verse point...how often are we praying for the Spiritual well-being of people over their physical well-being?

Yes we can pray on, over and through what we see physically, but honestly and truthfully, what's Spiritual matters more.  Our physical bodies will go through all sorts and forms of things and likely some day they will expire.  To a Believer all that is temporary because we know that when Christ appears to take us home to be with Him forever, we get a new body that has absolutely no issues.  We read of Paul writing that the sufferings we now endure cannot be compared to what will be revealed.

In your going about your day today, be mindful of what Spiritual things that God's talking to you about.  

Be mindful of when a person's name comes up for no apparent reason to your mind.  Stop and pray.  The Spirit always has a perfect, right, and true reason.

There are no coincidences with God or God's work in the Holy Spirit.  I call them God-instances.  If God's saying something is important enough to be brought to YOUR mind, then it's on YOU to be praying.  It's on YOU to be making that a higher priority than whatever it is you're doing.  

We have not just a ministry that's assigned to us in Christ when we come to Christ, we have our responsibilities in the body to work with the body as the Head, that is Christ, sees fit.  We have, as the Scriptures state, a irrevoccable calling in Christ Jesus.  No physical job can replace what our Heavenly Father says is for us to be doing.  Think on that one long and hard.  People often get 'too busy' with life and health to make God's calling their priority.  They will spend hours working out in a gym yet won't spend hours with Jesus at His feet, learning to be the way that His workmanship is to be in us.

People will even 'move' their time going to Church to fit in something on a Sunday yet won't move something in life to accomodate the work of the Spirit.  

Our being in the Body of Christ is to participate in the body of Christ.  Truthfully it is not our will to be done, but His Will is to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.  

Praying when someone comes to mind.  

Praying when life is personally uncertain.

Jesus cannot be our Advocate if we aren't asking Him to be representing us and we try to represent ourselves.

As the old saying goes "He who represents himself has a fool for a client".

It's another way to look at praying without ceasing.  Being sensitive to the work of the Spirit in each moment of your day.  Making what's important to God, which is people, important to you.  The Great Commission is about people.  The harvest that's white and in need of workers in the harvest is people.  The reason salvation in Christ Jesus was needed was to save people.  Our works cannot save us.  Our morality cannot save us.  Our being a good person cannot save us.  Hell has billions of "good people".   Hell cannot have a single Believer in Christ Jesus who has been covered by the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.

Our prayer might be the tipping point in someone coming to Christ.  Our prayer might be what redirects a life on the path towards salvation.  That's far more important than what the world says is important, which is health, wealth and happiness. 

Pray without ceasing...now that has a new way of thinking behind it...doesn't it?