The Bible tells us that Christians will be known by their love — “By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) — but how can we show that love to people? Let’s take a look at a quick passage from the first chapter of Colossians that I think perfectly depicts a simple way that we can love our fellow believers: pray for others.

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” — Colossians 1:9-12

If You Love, You’ll Pray

In the opening few lines of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, it’s vitally important to him that he prays for the people in the church. Paul was a busy guy, as you can assume, but he made to time to specifically pray not just for the general group of believers in the world, but actually for the believers in Colossae. “We have not ceased to pray for you…” — why does he pray for them so much? Because he loves them!

Often, I think many Christians are content to ask for prayer but are selective in who they’ll pray for because of the sacrifice of time required, but this passage displays the power of love. If you love someone, you’ll care about their spiritual walk. If you love someone, you’ll care about their sins. If you love someone, you will pray for them! Often a lack of prayer for the people around us isn’t merely a lack of time, but a lack of love.

Ask yourself, do you love the believers in your life well? We’re a family united in Jesus Christ, and we’re meant to struggle, laugh, grieve, and succeed together. A simple, practical way you can love someone today is by lifting them in prayer.

What Do We Ask For?

In verse 10, Paul says that he’s praying for the people of Colossae to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord…”. What a request! It sounds crazy when you visit Isaiah 64:6 and learn something important about our works: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind, our sins sweep us away.” We’re supposed to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, but our works are like filthy rags when presented to God by our righteousness!

Here’s the simple breakdown: The only way you can walk in a manner worthy of the Lord is because of Jesus Christ. So, when Paul prays that they walk in this way, he’s praying for God’s strength to indwell in His people! Your efforts and work will never be enough, but thankfully we have a Savior who covers our filthy rags with His perfect righteousness! The key to seeing this is in verse 11 — “Being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might…” — it’s all God!

So, when you sit down to pray for someone this week, you don’t have to merely pray that they would work harder or suddenly become better at their jobs; you can pray that God’s power may dwell in them. You can ask that they would rest in the patience and joy we find in Jesus Christ, and ultimately, have confidence in the redemption bought for us on the cross by our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Author: Noah Todd is the Marketing Coordinator at Studio490 Creative Services.

For more reading materials on We Should Actively Pray For Others, see below:

• 20 Minutes of Prayer
• Fellowship for Christian Men is Vital
• Powerful Reasons Why Community is Important for All Believers