Colossians 4.2-9
2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Final Greetings
7 Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.
ESV
Paul is beginning to close off this letter, and we can sense it in these verses as he again gives the Colossians some final encouragements: continue steadfastly in prayer, be watchful in your prayers, walk in wisdom towards those outside faith and let your conversations be seasoned with salt so that we can talk with people about our faith and share with them the Gospel (by the way, that implies a relationship with the other person so dialogue is key).
However, I really love verse three. Remember that Paul has never seen the Colossians, and to them, he is this giant figure of faith. Paul has traveled all over, planting churches, boldly speaking the Gospel, and suffering in the process. The Colossians are relatively new Christians who are trying to figure everything out about their new-found faith, and along the way, they are facing struggles. I’m sure that they were soaking in every encouragement and instruction from Paul.
But now, when they read this part of Paul’s letter, the great hero of faith is asking them to pray for him! Paul wants them to pray that God may open doors for the word and that God would use him to clearly proclaim the Gospel while he is in prison.
Have you ever run across an automatic door? You probably have. Automatic doors are the kind of doors that, as you approach, automatically open for you to let you pass through. Have you ever had a time when an automatic door failed to open for you? It’s interesting because it only takes one time for you to learn a great lesson: automatic doors don’t always open automatically!
Paul gets that through and through, and we see that in this passage. It’s not an automatic thing for people to accept the Gospel. Unless God opens the door of a person’s heart, any preaching or ministry program is just a bunch of busy background noise. I think the same can be said of pastors, elders, and deacons as they seek to lead and care for the people inside the church. Unless the Lord opens the door for the heart of the church, the church will continue to just go on doing things as they have always done.
That’s why Paul asks people to pray. Prayer is the key.
Paul is asking the Colossian believers to pray for him, to partner with him as he proclaims the Gospel! In fact, the mention of Tychicus and Onesimus points to this partnering as Paul points out their faithful service to and with him in his circumstances.
So as I look at this I'm finding that there is a mutuality here. Paul does not see himself as a top down leader where everyone else serves him. Instead, Paul understands that he is in a relationship with others and in ministry with others. As I send out these devotionals, please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. If there is anything specific you want me to be praying about for you, please let me know.
But I also want you to know that I consider you a partner with me in ministry and so I ask that you pray for me as well, that the Lord will open doors for sharing the Gospel, for building a missional heart in the leadership of the church and in our ministry together, but above all, that I would constantly let the word of Christ dwell richly in my life.
God bless you, and know that you are constantly with me in my prayers!
Scott