"Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God." (vs. 12)That word...struggling...it hung me up a bit. After a little research on Bible Gateway (my favorite online Bible resource, by the way), I found what other translations put in place of 'struggling'.
Wrestling...
Laboring...
Tireless...
I don't know about you but those words all imply work to me. Effort. Intentionality, even. So then, I started thinking. When is the last time I prayed and it felt like work? I don't mean that I prayed begrudgingly. I mean, when is the last time that I prayed so hard and so fervently that an observer would say I was "struggling on your behalf in his prayers"?
I honestly don't know. Saying that out loud sounds so terrible to me. It makes me ashamed. It makes me embarrassed. But it's true.
And so, yet again, Paul smacks me around a bit. I hope every time I read the Word I come away sore with the work out it's given me, my pride chipped away more and more, yet stronger in my faith and with something tangible to apply in my life as a result.
Here's the take away - I'm making it a point to pray. More specifically, to pray hard. To struggle, to wrestle, to labor, to tirelessly pour out my heart to the Father of Life who hears our prayers and answers our cries as we lift up our praise, thanks, confessions, and requests to Him. And I'm praying for you, the reader, that you will continue to see the Lord for who He is in your life and continue to seek after Him - the only One who can give peace and direction and purpose to your life.
I would love to know if you have anything specific you would like me to pray for and I will gladly pray for your requests. Leave me a comment.
Oh, and will you join with me in praying?
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