Prayer

As I study the book of Colossians, I am struck by the fervor with which Paul prayed. In the third verse, he says, "We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you." Yet, when Paul wrote this letter to the church at Colossae, he had never met them personally.  He had only heard about them from their pastor, Epaphras. This means that Paul was praying for people he had never met.

I don't know about you, but I have a hard enough time making sure I spend enough time in prayer for the people I do know!

Of course, there are times when I pray for people I don't know personally. Sometimes I pray for the people our missionary friends come in contact with, especially when we receive another e-newsletter from around the globe. I also pray for some of you, my "blogging friends," whenever I read about a particular situation you may be going through. For the most part, though, I go about my days as "busy" as everyone else, trying to squeeze in some quiet time at night when everyone is in bed asleep.

So Paul's words are keeping me awake these days. He prayed. A lot. And for people he didn't even know. I'd like to be more like Paul when it comes to prayer.

Naturally, when I pray there are some names that are first to mind: Jeff, Simone, Brynn, and Parker. I don't think it's possible to pray too much for the people we love most. It's probably not possible to pray too much for anyone. After all, Paul said to "pray continually" (I Thessalonians 5:17).

So I think I'll sign off and go do just that.

Who are you praying for today?