Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. Colossians 4:12-13 NIV
Epaphras is one of those Bible characters who is mentioned only a handful of times but when you look at what is spoken about him you realize he was a man who made an incredible difference in the lives of many people. He is commended earlier in Colossians for sharing the gospel but here he is presented as a prayer warrior. He doesn’t just mention the Colossians to the Lord, he wrestles in prayer for them! There’s a struggle, a fight that must be won on their behalf and Epaphras is actively involved! I love that!
What qualities do you associate with a good wrestler?
- Strength – You need to be strong in the Lord to wrestle in prayer! We develop spiritual muscle when we train and prepare well.
- Endurance – Some things can only be changed and some battles only won in prayer. But prayer can be hard work! Wrestling in prayer means, you don’t stop before you have the victory. You fight hard and you keep on fighting until the match is over.
- Wisdom – A good wrestler knows lots of moves to use on his opponent. Some are offensive designed to take down the opponent and turn him onto his back; and some are defensive, designed to escape when taken down and reverse who’s in control. God wants to equip you with all the moves you need as you engage in spiritual warfare! Will you seek him and do what it takes to gain spiritual wisdom and insight so that you will be effective in prayer?
- Discernment – A good wrestler has knowledge of his opponent, understands his strengths and weaknesses, and has a good sense of timing. As we wrestle in prayer, we need to ask God for discernment so we will know how to pray effectively and so our timing will be spot on.
- Proper Weight – Wrestlers need to be very intentional regarding what they eat so they will be the optimum weight to compete in their desired class. Likewise, we too, need to feed on the Word of God and guard the other influences we allow into lives so we will have every advantage against our opponent.
Prayer is a key component in spiritual warfare. It’s not something to be taken lightly, but to be engaged in with the understanding that it really does make a difference. The Bible is clear that God hears and answers prayer!
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:4 NIV
Prayer is one of the weapons God gives us that has divine power to demolish the strongholds of Satan! So how do you pray for other people? Do you mention their name before God then not give it another thought or do you wrestle in prayer on their behalf? Do you engage in fervent prayer, striving and fighting for their spiritual success, contending until you see the enemy defeated in their life? Let’s get to the place where we are not content to just mention others to God in prayer, but are willing to actively engage in the battle!