WATCHING AND PRAISING

Another day in Colossians 4...

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. Col 4:2-6 (ESV)

Today, we will look at the next phrase... 'being watchful in it with thanksgiving'.  If we don't pray specifically, then how will we know our prayer has been answered?  Sometimes we pray things that are so vague that there is no way to know if it has been answered or not.  For example, if we say 'Lord, be with Sue this week' but we don't ask God to do anything specifically, then have we asked Him to do something different from what He has already promised to do?  Did He not say in scriptures over and over that He is with us wherever we go?  But if we ask God to be with Sue this week as she goes to the doctor so that she will know no matter what that God is giving her strength and endurance during a difficult time... then we have asked for something.  That's where being 'watchful' comes in.

After we pray for something to happen, we need to be watching for the answers to come.  If God answers the prayer but we don't see the answer, we keep asking for something that has already happened.  If we ask 'random' prayers, we have no idea where to look for the answers but if we pray specifically, then we know what to look for.

And now for the other key word in the second phrase... thanksgiving.  When you thank God for something you have been praying for?  The first time you pray about it.  If you wait until the prayer is answered, you may give up before the answer comes or you may not give God the credit that He deserves.  So thank Him from the beginning and say something like "Lord, even though I don't see it yet with my physical eyes, I have faith that You are already taking care of this situation and I thank You for that.'  By thanking God on the front end, you no longer have to carry the burden anymore because you have given it to Him to take care of.  And when your hands are no longer carrying a burden, then they are free to use when you praise the Lord or serve your neighbor... Keep praying!