Changing People Through Prayer

 Colossians 1:9-12

            Look around any day, and you’ll see people who need to make changes in their lives. Maybe you have a sister who does not know Christ or a believing neighbor who struggles to tame a gossiping tongue. The most powerful way to effect change in another person’s life—or your own—is by praying. God, through the apostle Paul, has given us a prayer pattern that is Christ-centered and specific.

 Too often, believers are lazy in prayer. We say, “Lord bless so-and-so” without giving a single thought to what form the blessing should take. God does not work in generalities; He makes deliberate movements in every person’s life. And He is pleased when we use His Word in communicating with Him. The prayer from Colossians 1 includes God’s greatest desires for His children. When we go before the Lord and continuously read our own name or the name of a friend or family member into this passage, we are praying His specific will for that person.

 God answers the Colossians prayer with a transformation of the one whose name is being called. He delights in responding positively to requests that someone be filled with knowledge of His will and a desire to please Him!

 Results may not be instantaneous. We could wait weeks or even years before we see a loved one turn to Christ or finally witness that gossipy neighbor bear loving fruit instead of rotten. But behind the scenes, the Lord is working to build that per-son’s spiritual understanding and impress on him or her a desire to choose a faithful lifestyle. Our responsibility is to keep praying in a Christ-centered and specific manner.