Praying for others
“Prayers offered in the Name of Christ are scrutinized and sanctified by His nature, His purpose, and His will. Prayer is endorsed by the Name when it is in harmony with the character, mind, desire, and purpose of the Name.”1
Samuel Chadwick
James 5:16 tells us: “The prayer of a righteous person [a Christian] has great power” (ESV). So how are we to pray? I think we can learn a lot from Paul since he spent much time in prayer. He told the Colossians he was always praying for them (Col. 1:3). And in verses 9 to 14, we get a glimpse into his prayer life.
Paul’s basic request
Jesus came to do God’s will (Heb. 10:7), and it’s what we are here to do, too. So, the best thing we can pray for someone is to pray like Paul does for the Colossians—that they “would be filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will” (v.9). Paul wasn’t praying for some new knowledge (as the Gnostics in Colossae preached), but for a fuller development, a deeper comprehension and appreciation of what God’s will is in a given situation, and not just regarding the “biggies” like college, marriage, and a job. This is a prayer for a practical awareness of what God desires us to do in every situation.
Prayer is not trying to get God to do what we want, but learning what His will is and accepting it. We find God’s will in His Word. So, we need to pray that people would get into God’s Word and that God would reveal His will to them.
But it’s not enough to know God’s will. We must have “all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (v. 9).2 We need wisdom—“insight into the true nature of things,”3 and we need understanding—“quickness of apprehension, the penetrating consideration that precedes action.”4 We need to know what to do and how to accomplish it, that is, how to apply God’s Word to our specific situation.
The purpose of this knowledge
The purpose for knowing God’s will is “so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects” (v.10). Real knowledge transforms character so that we live in a way that pleases God. I can’t walk in a God-pleasing manner unless I know how and in which direction I’m going.
God answers our prayers for others, enabling them to bear fruit—to be productive. As we do God’s will, we learn more about Him and His will for our lives. It’s a constant process of going deeper and deeper into our relationship with God.
The power we’ve been given
Paul prays that they would be “strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might” (v. 11). This power we have been given is to the limit of God’s power, which is limitless. It’s continuous, and it’s for us!
Why do we need this power? Not to do fantastic exploits, but to know God’s will and persevere in it. We are to pray that others would have perseverance and patience in dealing with the people and situations they face and that they would have the strength to do God’s will.
Our relationship with God as our Father (v. 12) enables our prayers to be heard and answered. God qualifies us to have a father-child relationship where He loves us and answers our prayers.
This qualification comes at salvation (v. 13) when we were transferred from darkness to light—Jesus’ kingdom. This relationship comes because of our redemption—the payment of the price paid by His Son to buy us (v. 14). Through the forgiveness of our sins, we have the privilege of knowing God’s will and the strength to fulfil it.
How should we pray for others?
Christians often pray: “Lord, bless so-and-so.” But Ephesians 1:3 says, “God . . . has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” That is, we are already blessed. And sometimes we pray, “Lord, be with so-and-so.” But God has said, “I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20) and “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5 NKJV).
Rather let’s follow Paul’s example, and pray that others be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. And when we ask others to pray for us, it should be the same—that we may know God’s will and have His strength to do it.
1. Samuel Chadwick, The Path of Prayer (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1936), 52.
2. All scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible 2020, unless otherwise specified.
3. W.E. Vine, “Wisdom,” An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1936), Vol. IV, 221.
4. W.E. Vine, “Sunesis” under “Prudence,” An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1936), Vol. III, 229.