I love that we have access to evidence of Paul’s prayer life! His prayers are confident, powerful and specific. I personally wanted to better understand how Paul prayed because I believe it will shape my own prayers. I am sharing this in the hopes that it will also influence yours. 

I have found that the first chapter of Colossians reveals much about confident prayer, and I will unpack some of it here. 

Please note I’m not a theologian😁; this is simply my personal insight from reading the text and doing my own deep dive.

Colossians 1:4-8: A Natural Flow Towards Prayer

[4] For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, [5] which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. [6] This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace. [7] You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker. He is Christ’s faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf. [8] He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you.

I want to point out here that I see several things happening. First, Paul and others have heard of the Colossians’ faith and love. Paul links this to their hearing the truth of the Good News, the Gospel. This is tied to the sharing of this Good News with them by Epaphras. There is a definite flow to what is happening in this passage, and it links to prayer.

Paul states that this is THE same Good News that is going around the world and changing lives through an understanding of the truth of God’s wonderful grace.

What happens when this Good News is heard and truly understood? Lives are changed and transformed. 

Note that confident hope comes with understanding and experiencing the good news on a personal level. This hope is settled and sure. The Greek word is Elpis. It’s not wishful thinking. It is a future assurance based on objective knowing. It is an expectation! This knowing and assurance of what heaven holds leads to a life in which faith and love grow. Both faith and love come from this confident hope. Paul also provides insight here that love is a gift given from the Holy Spirit.

I believe that this section ties well into the next, regarding prayer.

Colossians 1:9-12: Confident Prayer

[9] So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. [10] Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. [11] We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, [12] always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 

In Paul’s prayer here to the Colossians, he asks for several things. He asks God to give the Colossians grace and peace. These 2 things are mentioned in 13 of Paul’s letters as his signature blessing. And here in Colossians, he also asks God to give them complete knowledge of His will, spiritual wisdom, and understanding. He prays that they will be strengthened, so that they will have endurance and patience. He also asks that they will be filled with joy and constant gratitude to God.

To summarize, he prays for:

• Grace and peace
• Complete knowledge of God’s will
• Spiritual wisdom and understanding 
• Strength fueled by God’s power
• Endurance and patience
• Joy
• Constant gratitude 

The presence of these elements in the life of someone who has been transformed by hearing the Good News is a beautiful thing and reveals an abundant life!

What I Learned

These 9 verses alone are packed with richness. To me, they brought a greater understanding of where my hope and assurance lies, the certainty of heaven and what is stored in the future, as well as how to pray more confidently and specifically in the present. 

Prayer is critical! I can’t imagine that it would be revealed in such detail in the Word if it was not important. I’m so thankful for Paul’s prayers because they have been bringing me a greater understanding of how to pray. I want powerful, effective, and confident prayer! But above all, I want prayer that is genuine, and from my heart.

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Moving Forward

What have you learned here about prayer, and how will it impact your prayers?

Questions or comments? gerberxc@gmail.com

In case you missed, find Part 1 on Prayer here: https://movingforwardcontent.com/2025/12/28/powerful-prayer/