More lessons from the Apostle Paul on prayer...
Colossians 4:2
"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."
Devote yourselves to prayer,
- if we are devoted to something we will make time for it. When have you / when will you pray today? How about tomorrow? Paul seems to suggest that devotion is something we can choose to have.
Being watchful
- To be watchful means to be on our guard (Like the deer in the photo). We were reminded last night in Danial 8 about the Enemy who won't be relaxing through lockdown. What do you need to be watchful for? Often it is an internal watching that is needed. Slippery slopes with temptation to sin? Heart attitudes towards others? Idols getting a grip of our heart?
I was struck recently by this observation from John Flavel who was surprised that there were:
"...some people who have lived forty or fifty years in the world and have had scarcely one hours discourse with their own heart." He wrote this in the book: "Keeping the heart" and he rightly argues that we ought to take time to see what is going on in our hearts - what are the current temptations or idols or fears or struggles. Because if we don't know, we can't ask God to help us deal with them. Why not take time this week to jot them down?
And being thankful
- What can you be truly thankful for today? Why not write a list starting with things related to creation and ending with things related to the gospel. Then give thanks to your heavenly Father.
Photo by Saad Chaudhry on Unsplash