Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ... Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Col 4:2-5)
"... that God May Open a Door"
Today we wrap up the first week of the August Prayer Initiative, focusing on how the gospel of Jesus is “good news for the lost.” Perhaps this week you have gained fresh perspective and a renewed enthusiasm to share the gospel with those who don’t know Jesus.
We see in this passage that when we are rooted and grounded in a lifestyle of steadfast prayer, it is God who provides opportunities for evangelism and grants us wisdom as we interact with our friends and neighbors.
According to this passage, a prayerful believer (vs 2) can be described by three words: steadfast, watchful, and thankful.
What prevents you from being steadfast in prayer? Perhaps you’re hesitant to come to God when you feel guilty, burdened by sin. Or maybe you sometimes forget to pray until times are hard and you feel more deeply your need for God’s provision. In the same way that a gentle father is delighted to listen to his little child, our loving heavenly Father rejoices when his children come before him in prayer regularly and confidently.
The word “watchful” may be a little harder to unpack at first glance. First, “watchfulness” means being aware of the times, paying attention to current events and then bringing everything to God. It also implies a posture of readiness to respond with grace and truth when challenges arise. Prayer tunes our hearts to the heart of God and helps us rest in the Creator’s sovereignty over the world and all that is in it.
Thirdly, the prayerful believer is filled with thanksgiving. It is sometimes easy to focus our entire prayer life in confessing our sins or asking God to provide for us. Those are appropriate things to pray about, but let us never for a moment forget what a privilege it is to speak directly to the almighty God, a costly privilege that Jesus secured for us with his own life. Our prayers should be infused with gratitude and awe from beginning to end.
May we always be people who are steadfast, watchful, and thankful in prayer. Then we can rest in the assurance that it is God who “opens the doors” to relationships, evangelism, and ultimately to the hearts of the lost
How to pray…
- Pray that the people of LBC would be devoted and steadfast in their commitment to prayer.
- Pray that this month of daily prayer would help each of us strengthen good prayer habits.
- Pray that we would see God at work in our own hearts; granting us wisdom, making us gracious, and filling us with thanksgiving as we align our hearts to his.
- Pray that God would “open the doors” to opportunities for proclaiming the good news to the lost.
For the Family
Today we read in Colossians 4:2-5 that Paul asked for prayer that God would open the door for His word to enter. Only God can open people’s hearts and situations to be softened to Christ.
As a reminder of this, print off The Lord’s Prayer Door Hanger Template. (Download it HERE.) Your child can cut it out and decorate it to make it unique. On the back of the door hanger, write prayer requests for people or situations where you desire for God to open a door.
"... that God May Open a Door" - Katie Pollard
Katie is the administrator and communications director for LBC. Katie and her husband, Joel, moved to Orlando from Nashville, TN in 2014, when Joel became the Director of Worship at LBC. They both grew up in Carrollton, GA and have been leading worship together since their youth group days. They were married in 2011 and have two children, Sam and Evie.
"For the Family" - Michelle Crouse
Michelle Crouse has served as the director of LBC's children's ministry—SPLASH Kids—since the end of 2011. She and her husband Joshua were married in 2002 and have 2 children. Michelle grew up outside of Boston and graduated from James Madison University in Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She loves being with kids and loves the opportunity to be a part of teaching children how much they are loved by God, and helping them grow in their understanding of what that means.