Prayer Wrestling
Prayer Wrestling
"Epaphras…is always wrestling in prayer for you." Colossians 4:12 NIV
Some people pray with a whimper. Some casually knock. Some seek if they have nothing better to do. Others, however, ask as if their life depended on it; they strain every nerve as they are seeking, and they knock until their knuckles are raw.
It would have been enough for Paul to say, Epaphras is praying for you, or even, he is always praying for you. That, however, would not have adequately described the intensity of Epaphras’ prayer life. The fact is, Epaphras didn’t pray half-heartedly; he prayed whole-heartedly.
The word “wrestling” is taken from the Greek word agonizomai, from which we get the word “agonize,” which means “to work so hard as to strain every nerve and muscle.” This kind of full-throttle, take-no-prisoners, leave-it-all-on-the-court, whole-hearted prayer is the kind of prayer with which the early church started. It is the kind of prayer to which the twenty-first century church is headed.
God wants to deliver you from dabbling. The world will not be changed by a bunch of dabblers. When it comes to the manifest presence of Christ, we cannot afford to dabble. Christ does not want us lukewarm or tentative because He does not want us to sporadically encounter His manifest presence. God wants us to seek and receive the manifest presence of Christ as the pit bull grabs its dinner or a heat seeking missile locks on the heat source. As you pray today, be sure you hit the heat source.
Father God, deliver me from dabbling. I give You my whole heart to seek Your whole heart, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
YEAR ON FIRE
© Fred A. Hartley, III
All rights reserved
Unless otherwise indicated, the English Standard Bible (ESV) is used.
This daily Christ-encountering, fire-starter is not intended to replace your daily Bible reading and prayer time, but rather to motivate you to spend extended time in His presence.
"Epaphras…is always wrestling in prayer for you." Colossians 4:12 NIV
Some people pray with a whimper. Some casually knock. Some seek if they have nothing better to do. Others, however, ask as if their life depended on it; they strain every nerve as they are seeking, and they knock until their knuckles are raw.
It would have been enough for Paul to say, Epaphras is praying for you, or even, he is always praying for you. That, however, would not have adequately described the intensity of Epaphras’ prayer life. The fact is, Epaphras didn’t pray half-heartedly; he prayed whole-heartedly.
The word “wrestling” is taken from the Greek word agonizomai, from which we get the word “agonize,” which means “to work so hard as to strain every nerve and muscle.” This kind of full-throttle, take-no-prisoners, leave-it-all-on-the-court, whole-hearted prayer is the kind of prayer with which the early church started. It is the kind of prayer to which the twenty-first century church is headed.
God wants to deliver you from dabbling. The world will not be changed by a bunch of dabblers. When it comes to the manifest presence of Christ, we cannot afford to dabble. Christ does not want us lukewarm or tentative because He does not want us to sporadically encounter His manifest presence. God wants us to seek and receive the manifest presence of Christ as the pit bull grabs its dinner or a heat seeking missile locks on the heat source. As you pray today, be sure you hit the heat source.
Father God, deliver me from dabbling. I give You my whole heart to seek Your whole heart, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
YEAR ON FIRE
© Fred A. Hartley, III
All rights reserved
Unless otherwise indicated, the English Standard Bible (ESV) is used.
This daily Christ-encountering, fire-starter is not intended to replace your daily Bible reading and prayer time, but rather to motivate you to spend extended time in His presence.
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