Thursday: Prayer Power
Daily Lesson for Thursday 8th of January 2026
Read Colossians 1:9-12. What specific requests do you find in Paul’s prayer?
Paul prays “that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will.” Paul describes knowing God’s will as “wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Colossians 1:9, NKJV). Wisdom comes, first of all, by trusting God fully, being willing to do His will (John 7:17), and not leaning on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). But the question often arises, “What is God’s will for me in this situation?” There are four main sources from which we may learn God’s will as we seek it prayerfully:
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The most important source of wisdom is the Bible. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalms 119:105, NKJV).
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God has given us special wisdom for the last days through the Spirit of Prophecy (Revelation 12:17, Revelation 19:10) as manifested though the writings of Ellen White. The Bible encourages us to “believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper” (2 Chronicles 20:20, NKJV).
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God’s will and leading may also be known through providential circumstances, by asking Him to open or close doors (see Colossians 4:3).
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The Holy Spirit guides us once we have learned to recognize His voice: “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, / ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ / Whenever you turn to the right hand / Or whenever you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21, NKJV).
Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com
Paul prays that the Colossians may “walk worthy of the Lord” (Colossians 1:10, NKJV). Of course, no one is inherently “worthy,” but God counts us worthy by His grace and calls us to live in accordance with that high calling (Ephesians 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 2:12, NKJV). Paul uses the verb “walk” or “walked” three more times in this letter alone (Colossians 2:6, Colossians 3:7, Colossians 4:5). It means to live and act in accordance with God’s law (Exodus 18:20), which is possible only through the work of the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:27).
Paul also prays that their (and our) lives may be “fully pleasing” to the Lord and then lists several ways to do that: “Being fruitful in every good work” (Colossians 1:9-10, NKJV); then “increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10, NKJV); and, finally, in “giving thanks” (Colossians 1:12, NKJV).
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If someone were to ask you, “How do you know that God is leading you in one direction or another?” how would you answer—and why? |
Basically, prayer is communication and it makes a big difference to our prayer life if we realise that listening is 50% of the communication process. If you have ever been in a conversation where the other person does all the talking and you cannot get a word in, you will know how frustrating that can be. God wants to talk too, but he has a quiet voice.
Most of the times when I have felt the Lord’s leading in my life, it has been in the quiet advice of good friends and often they do not even realise they have made a difference.
Our lesson today raises the issue of how we can know God’s will, and gives, the Bible, Spirit of Prophecy, circumstances, and the Holy Spirit. I don’t argue with those, but I cannot emphasise enough the importance of the interaction and communication we have with our community of believers. All too often when we talk about Church, we think of all the issues of doctrinal differences, organisational hierarchy and , and church liturgy. But at its heart the church is a community of believers. “Community” and “communication” come from the same Latin root “communis”. You cannot have a community without communication. This is where the Holy Spirit wants to work. We need to develop the skill of listening to one another because, when we do, we may hear the quiet whisper of God.
James wrote:
This is not just listing our faults in some sort of confessional. Rather, it is the sort of conversation we have with friends for guidance and understanding.
The first recorded prayer in the Bible is after the fall.
“At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD.” (Genesis 4:26, NIV).
The context behind the above text is after the fall of humanity (Gen.3), the first murder (Cain killing his brother, Abel), Genesis 4, increase in violence and moral decay. Against the backdrop of sin and brokenness, there was desperation to call upon the Lord. More often than not, prayer arises from brokenness calling for help. Prayer is humanity’s intentional act of yearning to connect with God. The above text tells that God is available if we call upon Him. Prayer is the pathway that connects us to God. He is not only available but He will save us. “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13). The very essence of prayer is to seek God’s capsule of protection in this world of sin and brokenness.
Paul’s prayer to the Colossians was seeking their spiritual protection by knowing the perfect will of God and reflect the life of Christ. We are in real danger if we fail to know the will of God in our lives. God want to save each one of us. “He wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4). For this and this reason alone, God sent His Son to this world. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17). On this ground, Paul pleaded to the Colossians and an extension to us to live a live worth our calling.
”Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.” (Colossians 4:1, NLT).
Paul is one of the apostles who arguably accomplished more for God than any other person in the history of new testament. From planting churches and overseeing the salvation of countless souls to writing over 60% of the New Testament, Paul endured persecution for the sake of the gospel. He was indeed a powerful apostle and man of God. One of the most impressive aspects of his life was how his prayer life shaped his walk with God and sustained his ministry.
From Paul’s life, it is clear that our highest calling may not be preaching, speaking in tongues, or even experiencing visitations, but cultivating prayer as a way of life. Prayer helps direct and empower us to accomplish more for Christ. In his letters, Paul frequently speaks of his constant prayers for the churches: “How constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times” (Romans 1:9–11); “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:15); and “Through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance” (Philippians 1:19).
Prayer formed and informed Paul’s service in the gospel vineyard. He prayed consistently for the churches in Rome, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, and Thessalonica. He intentionally used phrases such as “at all times,” “without ceasing,” and “night and day,” showing his deep devotion to prayer. Through this disciplined prayer life, Paul gained profound insight into the unity of the body of Christ and strength for his mission.
Paul’s life invites believers today to rely on prayer as an indispensable source of power. Prayer remains a great lesson for all ministers of the gospel and for every follower of Christ. As we grow in our prayer lives, praying for others becomes a powerful tool at our disposal. When we learn to pray together, we grow together.
Montoya, referring to your first sentence, what about Jesus Christ? Where would Paul be if it wasn’t for Jesus Christ, the Word of God, who came unto His own, but His own received Him not, meeting him on the road to Damascus? Surely, Paul’s writings testify of his miraculous conversion. Jesus gave up heaven to come to this earth as a lowly babe in a manger to die in our place. He is still the son of man in heaven, interceding for us. Paul said, among so many other things. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. He also said, without Him, I could do nothing”, “looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our work”.
Thank you for the important reminder, Thomas. You are very right— the bible points to the fact that all that Paul accomplished was entirely because of Jesus Christ. Paul himself consistently pointed away from himself and toward Jesus Christ as the source of his calling, strength, and effectiveness. My intention was not to elevate Paul above Christ, but to highlight how Paul’s life and prayer ministry testified to the transforming power of Jesus in line with the topic of day. After Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, what Paul faithfully preached in season abd out if season was Christ.
One of the prayer items Paul makes for the Colossians is that “they may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and understanding of spiritual things”. Col. 1:9
Jesus in John 17:3 prays “they might know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent”. Its was of interest to Jesus that people have the true knowledge.
Paul carries this theme into his epistles. Eph. 5:10,17 Paul exhorts the Ephesians to “Try to learn what pleases the Lord;17 So do not be foolish with your lives. But learn what the Lord wants you to do.” He repeats the same to Colossians Col. 1:9 “9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding”. That was Paul’s own prayer in 1Cor 2:2 “2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
Paul emphasizes of gain knowledge and that knowledge is specific and directional: its knowledge about God and his will. Why is this important? Its because its the basis of “walking worthy of the Lord; being fruitful in every good work; gaining more knowledge of God; living lives fully pleasing to the Lord” as Col. 1:10-11 describes. True knowledge of God is a dynamo power that transforms, encourages, inspires and strengthens
Again, Paul spoke of our weakness sometimes in prayer, that the Holy Spirit modulates(intercedes)before presenting our prayer to our Father in heaven. Romans 8:26
Amen.
I don’t really trust impressions alone, as I know that Satan can manipulate feelings and try to lead us in the wrong direction through them. It is never safe to “follow your heart” because “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jer. 17:9 I try to pray that God’s will be done in all my prayer requests. I know that if it is in harmony with God’s Word then I look for signs of open doors to go forward. Through prayer, God opens doors that cannot be shut, and closes doors that cannot be opened. I praise Him for it!
I had a Pastor that always said that prayer is the source of power for the Christian. Little prayer, little power. Some prayer, some power. Much prayer, much power. Power for transformation of character, and victory over sin. I miss you Pastor Terry Nelson, and look forward to seeing you again on that “great getting up morning” when Jesus comes again.
Believers who have accepted Christ are prepared daily, equipped and set aside for Gods duty. They can only serve in this evil world by faith and Jesus prayed to the Father to send his Spirit to protect them from the enemy who will always be determined to stop their unity and discourage their dependence on Christ. God allows them to be tested and provides their victory so that their faith in Him may grow.
I guess I listen to God’s voice when I’m open to doing His will, and pray as much as I can. I hope to be conducted by His love while I trust that “all things cooperate for my good”.
When my ways are in tune with the will of God, I am confident of the Lord’s leading. This is not possible by human effort. It is just by the grace of God through the Holy Spirit that we are able to honor His will.
Scripture informs us that we, the gentiles who believe in Christ, are included ‘in the hope in Christ’ – Eph.1:1-23; verse 13 states: “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of His Glory.”
Jesus gave us the ‘Lord’s prayer’ to guide us when addressing our Father in heaven – Matt.6:9-13. Beyond remembering to praise God for His faithfulness when helping us to remain close to Him, what else would we need when praying to help us to always love Him and to be kind toward our fellow man? All that’s left is putting it into practice – living our life in obedience, love, and faith that aligns with God’s will. 1 John 3:21-23 .
To be honest, I don’t always know if God is leading me in one way or another and I think most people don’t know in every situation, even though they sometimes act like they do. I have seen situations where people thought God was making his will clear ultimately end up in disaster. I also have seen people refuse to move because they’re waiting for God’s will. We aren’t always very good at seeing God’s signs. I also think there are many situations where God may not have a specific will in mind. I certainly think we should pray about each situation and ask God to open and close doors but ultimately He created as free beings and in many situations leaves the choice to us. We may not always make the best choice because of all sorts of circumstances, but if we are in tune with Him, He will bring good out of even less than perfect choices.
Also, when the Bible talks about God’s will, it is mostly talking about moral issues, not what job to take or who to marry or whatever. Certainly God cares about these things but He leaves many of the decisions up to us.
Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). This does not mean believers always hear God clearly in every situation, nor that they never mistake their own thoughts for His voice. Rather, it means there is a growing sensitivity a relational familiarity formed through abiding in Christ.
I don’t disagree with what you’re saying. However, reading John 10 in context, we see that it is talking about salvation and not about the choices we make in every day life. We need to be careful about applying verses to situations they don’t talk about.
Christina, I agree that we don’t always recognize God’s leading. Sometimes we can see it in retrospect when we missed His voice at the time. This happened to me recently when I ran out of gas in my new-to-me car; I trusted the gas gauge although I felt a nudge that maybe I should put some gas in it. I ran out of gas just a couple miles down the road, and my car was hit while I was outside it putting gas in. Thank God no one was hurt, but if I had listened to the small nudge prompting me to put some gas in the car, I wouldn’t be dealing with insurance companies and needing to get another vehicle. I know this is a pretty dramatic example, but it really underscores the importance of learning to recognize the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
In response to your final paragraph, I very much believe that God wants to direct our choices on who we marry and where we work. Marriage especially affects not only the married couple, but any children they have, and also can affect family and friends. And considering how much time and thought most of us spend on our jobs and the resulting stresses, I believe we would be better off allowing God to lead us to the right job. This Friday’s quote from Ellen White explains it better than I can.
Happy Friday! I pray that every one of us on this forum will hear the voice of God directing our lives.
When the noise of the world ceases, the voice of God becomes clear and loud.The Sabbath is not a routine it is a holy interruption.It calls us away from haste and distraction, inviting us into sacred stillness. In the quiet of the Sabbath, God does not compete with the world for our attention; He reveals Himself to hearts that have chosen to pause. Time slows, burdens loosen, and the soul remembers who it belongs to.The Sabbath is God’s gift of presence where we stop striving, and He does the speaking. It is not merely a day we observe, but a relationship we enter. In resting, we listen, in listening, we are renewed.
Happy Sabbath from this other side of the world.
Dear Hillary – this is a wonderful description of the holy purpose for the Sabbath – thank you!
Did Paul’s imprisonment affect his practice of Sabbath observance?
Karen, in saying that God’s will applies more to moral issues than issues like jobs and marriage, I don’t mean they aren’t important. They are. And I think God will guide us in these areas of our life if we are connected to Him.
My issue is with people waiting for signs and not acting until they receive them. In most cases, I don’t think that’s what God wants us to do and I have seen situations where people obsess over knowing God’s will in a certain area (for example, work) while not following God’s will morally (for example not keeping the Sabbath or engaging in sexual immorality). I feel seeking God’s moral will is much more important than anything else. If you are in harmony with God in your behaviour and life, the job you have is not all that important. God will use you to be a blessing wherever you are. I don’t mean that He doesn’t sometimes have specific jobs He wants us to have, but many times He leaves this up to us. Often we would succeed in many different careers and God is pleased by any choice. Thinking of Jesus in this area, I suspect He didn’t pray to God to show Him what career to pursue. He was Joseph’s son and in that time you learned the trade of your father. Jesus followed that pattern and served God as a carpenter. Maybe He could have been a better fisherman, who knows, but such things were not important. He served God in the situation where He was. (I Corinthians 7:17-20 seems to support this way of thinking too)
When it comes to marriage, God’s main will is that we not marry a non-believer. Beyond that He gives us freedom to choose. Certainly He wants us to look for characteristics that indicate a person will be a good spouse. But He gave us attraction and that’s not a bad thing as long as it’s kept in its place. From what I can see, there is only one marriage in the Bible that God orchestrated and that was Isaac and Rebekah. Beyond that, the believers seem to make decisions in relation to marriage(and probably in many cases their parents made the decisions and they had to live with them).
Certainly we should pray over these situations. We should ask for guidance. But if a sign does not appear, God might be telling us that He has given us the ability to make good choices and He’s given us people to help us too.
Christina,
God wants to give us the desires of our hearts. He hears and answers ALL prayers. My grandson was recently on his knees wondering if he should continue working or return to college. None of his courses were open so he prayed “every hour” before looking at the college openings. Like a miracle, God answered by opening all three of the classes he needed on the closest campus! God made it clear which path he should take. Praise God for His amazing love.
How do I know if God is leading me in a particular direction? I love this question posed at the end of this lesson, and I hope my response really helps anyone who has asked that question.
If you regularly worship God and continue to read his word one of the things we must believe is that his word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. In addition I have a regular routine of prayer and being still to hear Gods voice. I heard this saying that “prayer is me telephoning God, but stillness and intuition is God telephoning me” Stillness matters. I also pay attention to outer circumstances for confirmation. I also believe in a multitude of counsellors there is safety. so seeking counsel is vital and last of all the 6th way I know God is speaking is “peace” that’s my barometer, am I at peace?