Put Your Focus On God's Purpose

“Praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9).

One of the things I have noticed, and I like, about Paul’s teachings on prayer is that he puts the focus not so much on our problems but on God’s purposes. This occurs not just in Colossians, as we have been studying recently, but also in other letters of encouragement written by Paul. For example—

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:18-19).

Notice the words hope and riches. These words point to His purposes. Life can seem hopeless, but it is quite to the contrary. Life is full of hope for the believer. Even further, you have a great inheritance that will not be taken away, but is instead here to stay. Paul is encouraging us to pray according to God’s purpose so that we might see what all God has for us, how He is at work in us, and how we can be certain of the victory that awaits us.

I read somewhere that when British rule ended in India in the 1940’s, a group of social scientists studied its impact on the life of the nation. They discovered after six months of study that many villages were not aware that the British had ever been there. The British had been present since the 1600’s, but the average Indian villager lived & died without any knowledge that the British had ever been present.

As believers, God is active in our lives, but many of us are not aware of His presence directing our lives. We face stresses, disappointments, and all sorts of hard times thinking that life is out of control or falling apart when nothing could be further from the truth. God is at work in these things bringing about better things. God is at work in our lives, using experiences to mold our character and enrich our spiritual lives. We just don’t see it. So we must learn to pray about it that we might understand better God’s higher purposes and see how He is guiding us through it.

Let’s learn not to get so bent out of shape over our problems, but instead focus on God’s purposes. Ask God for wisdom that we might discern what He is up to in our lives and how He is working to bring blessings to our lives—even in the hard times. Trust me on this—God has a way of answering this kind of praying. Try it and you will see!

Devotedly yours,
Pastor Ron