Regarding Wrestling in Prayer

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you… (Colossians 4:12, NIV)

In his letter to the believers in Colossae, Paul describes Epaphras as a faithful servant of God who wrestled in prayer for them. Clearly Epaphras had a prayer burden for the faithful in Colossae. He did not so much pray for their material or tangible needs, not even about physical conditions, their health and wellbeing, but he prayed hard, he labored in prayer regarding their spiritual wellbeing and strength. He prayed they would be those who would stand firm in their faith, be those who would mature in faith, stand firm in doing the will of God; that they would not waver in their lives.

In our time of need, we certainly want someone praying we get that much desired job, are accepted into that school we have always dreamt of, get that much needed increase in salary, get that well-deserved promotion, have that godly spouse we long and trust God for. We want someone who will pray with and for us concerning our children, our marriage, our health, that God’s blessings will come to us; all of these are wonderful petitions and prayer coverings. But especially we want someone who is willing to cover our spiritual needs, to pray prayers of protection and deliverance, to pray that we will stand firm in our faith no matter what we face, that we will mature in our faith, know, and do the will of God. Someone who will pray we can resist temptation, resist the devil, wear our spiritual armor at all times, will know the fullness of our relationship with Christ and grow up in our salvation.

Epaphras was a true man of prayer that any believer would be blessed to have on their prayer team, in fervent prayer, willing to labor, struggle and wrestle in prayer for them. We want and need an Epaphras in our life. In fact, we should want to become an Epaphras in the lives of others. Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father grant me the ability to pray fervently, to struggle and wrestle in  prayer for others as Epaphras did for the believers in Colossae. Amen

Reflective Questions for Self and Soul-Tending:

Do you have the kind of prayer partner and covering that Epaphras gave to believers in Colossae? Who would you choose or ask to pray for you in these ways?

How will you incorporate today’s message into your plan of self and soul care?