And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:9-14

How can we pray effectively for our co-laborers in the Kingdom of God? Your Elders need to be supported with effective prayer so they can lead your church and give proper oversight according to the Scriptures. The missionaries you support also need an effective prayer team providing spiritual support in addition to any financial support you may provide to them. Homegroup leaders, outreach leaders, Sunday School teachers, deacons, and a host of other categories of co-laborers in the Kingdom need prayer support. Frankly, we are a all called to serve and be co-laborers in the Kingdom whether we hold a recognized office or ministry or not. Here is one effective approach that you can implement easily.

We have all heard of and maybe practiced, praying the Scriptures. It is one of the most powerful ways to pray. We want to pray in the will of God. How can we be more sure that our prayers are in the will of God than to pray God’s inspired word back to him on behalf of ourselves or others for whom we care? Here is an edited version of the text above of Colossians 1:9-14 as an example.

I have not ceased to pray for you [insert the name of the one for whom you are praying], asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

We can break this out into more discernable points of prayer.

The ten-fold Colossians claims for Christian workers.1

The first five: a release of revelation

  1. “Filled with the knowledge of God’s will.” Father, I ask that you grant divine direction for this day in particular.
  2. Father, grant a revelation of your wisdom, grant them divine perception, how to apply the knowledge of God’s will.
  3. A revelation of God’s understanding, divine comprehension. May we have God’s perception of circumstances and your purposes for this day.
  4. Father, grant a revelation of your holiness in Christian workers, may they “walk worthy” of their calling.
  5. Grant workers a revelation of God’s pleasure in them, may they perceive divine gratification in themselves.

The second five: An increase of blessings

  1. May my co-laborers be “fruitful in every good work.” Grant increased productivity and effectiveness in Kingdom work.
  2. Grant devotional growth, an increase in the knowledge of God. May they grow in their hunger for God and his Word.
  3. May this worker be strengthened with all power according to God’s glorious might, and increase in durability.
  4. Grant an increase of patience, an increase in tenacity in the work. May they be strengthened unto all endurance and patience.
  5. Father grant an increase of joy and delight in you. All of the above are to be saturated with an increase in joy.

If you find this helpful, you may want to do a copy and paste to your prayer list tool. This is a tool you can use daily as you pray for those Christian workers with whom you are connected.

There are many other passages of Scripture that can be used in the same way. I have found Paul’s prayers to be extremely helpful as well as parts of the Psalms. You can, of course, use this method to pray for yourself as well as other Christian workers. I hope you learn to pray the Scriptures and find greater effectiveness in your prayer life.

Footnotes

  1. I have to give credit to Dick Eastman for his insights in this article.