Paul has two basic prayers that he brings to the Lord on behalf of the Colossian believers. He prays that they may be filled (v9) and he prays that they may be strengthened (v11).

Be Filled. Filled with what? Paul could have prayed for any number of good things here, but he prays for what is most uncommon in our prayers! He prays that they “may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” In other words, the foremost prayer request in Paul’s heart was that believers in Colossae would grow in what they know! Why? Because by knowing God’s will, they could then “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (v10). If we are not growing in our knowledge of God’s will, we are not walking in a manner pleasing to Him simply because we don’t Him! Where do we go to grow in God’s will? We go to His revelation. We go to His divine self-disclosure. We go to His Word, and we treasure it, read it, study it, pour over it, meditate on it, and embrace it. The more we know His Word, the more we know Him. The more we know Him, the more we know how to live in a way that glorifies Him!

Be Strengthened. It’s one thing to know His will; it’s quite another to live it! We need His power to live His will! Especially, Paul prays, we need His “glorious might” to live out our faith with joyful endurance and patience (v11). We are not to just grind out the Christian life! There is available to us in Christ the glorious might of Almighty God, enabling us to live through the long, unexpected trials and sufferings with unexplainable joy! We can know His will and sludge our way through this life giving the impression that Christianity is a depressing journey. OR, we can know His will and experience His glorious might in order to convey an accurate portrait of Christianity: joy even in sorrow!

In studying Paul’s prayer, may we be the kind of believers Paul prayed the Colossians would be, filled with the knowledge of God’s will and strengthened with God’s power! Furthermore, may we adopt this intercession for one another. Imagine spouses praying this for one another, parents praying this for their children, and believers praying this for each other!