Day 4: Submission to God’s Mission
Today’s Reading: Colossians 1:3–14
Welcome to Day 4 of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2023. This is Week 1, Walking in the Fear of the Lord.
The Focus: “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to FILL YOU WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, SO THAT YOU MAY live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.” (Colossians 1:9–11, NASB)
The Meditation: “Fill you with the knowledge of His will . . . so that you may . . . [bear] fruit.”
A Prayer Worth Borrowing
Most of us pray for circumstances to change. Paul prays for the Colossians themselves to change. He asks that God would fill them with the knowledge of His will, through the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives (Colossians 1:9).
It is a prayer we can borrow for ourselves, for our families and for our church.
Knowing So That We Can Live
Paul does not want them to know God’s will so that they can win arguments. He wants them to know it so that they can live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way (Colossians 1:10). In the Bible, knowledge is meant to end up in our feet.
He lists what such a life looks like. It bears fruit in every good work. It keeps growing in the knowledge of God. It is strengthened with God’s power so that it can endure with patience. And it overflows with joyful thanks to the Father (Colossians 1:10–12).
Why We Can Submit
Submission is a hard word until we remember what God has done. He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves. In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins (Colossians 1:13–14).
We are not surrendering to a stranger. We are saying yes to the One who rescued us. His mission is to bring that same rescue to the whole world, and the gospel is still bearing fruit and growing (Colossians 1:6).
Pray It Through
Pray Colossians 1:9 for yourself. Ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will for this year.
Say yes in advance. Tell God that you will obey what He shows you, before you know what it is.
Pray it for someone else. Choose one person and pray Colossians 1:9–12 over them by name.
Prayer for Today
Father, fill me with the knowledge of Your will through the wisdom Your Spirit gives. I do not want only to know it. I want to live it. Strengthen me with Your power, so that I can keep going with patience and joy. Thank You for rescuing me from darkness. I give myself to Your mission. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Listen and Watch
Pastor Ras shares a short message for Day 4 in the audio and video below.
Keep going
See every day of this guide on our Prayer & Fasting page.
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