Colossians 1:11 (ESV) being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;

Have you heard someone say, “Don’t pray for patience?” That statement reveals an idolatry of comfort and security that has more to do with the American Dream than it does a Biblical vision of living on mission. It also reveals a misunderstanding of the character of God. Saying, “don’t pray for patience” is like saying that if you are foolish enough to pray for patience then God will say to you, “Well ok, I was going to give you a comfortable life, but if you really want patience, then here’s some hard core difficulty to help you develop that patience you say you want.”

Not only does saying “don’t pray for patience,” reveal an idolatry of comfort and a misunderstanding of God’s character, it also demonstrates a misconception of the purpose of prayer. The vision of that statement is contrary to what Paul prayed for the Colossians in Colossians 1:9-14. As soon as he and his team heard that there were new believers in Colossae, they started praying several specific things for them. In the middle of the prayer he prayed that they would have “endurance and patience with joy.” He prayed for patience for them! Why? Because they were going to need it to live on mission in a hostile environment. So do we.

Sunday morning at Bethany Place, I am continuing the series in Colossians called, “Learning to Live in a New Country.” We are learning to live in the new “country” where Jesus is King, while still living in a world that does not follow Jesus as King. We need strength of character (like endurance, patience, and joy, which Paul specifically prays for in our passage) and conviction to be able to do this. Al Mohler defines convictions like this:

“A conviction is a belief of which we are thoroughly convinced. I don’t mean that we are merely persuaded that something is true, but rather that we are convinced this truth is essential and life-changing. We live out of this truth and are willing to die for it.”  (Conviction to Lead, Al Mohler)

In every room or environment we walk into, that character and conviction better walk into the room with us or we will quickly adapt to whatever environment surrounds us. With that in mind, we will reflect Sunday on Colossians 1:9-14 and demonstrate how praying like Paul prays will help develop the character and conviction we need.

– Gene