The following is an excerpt of a prayer email I sent out on Labor Day 2009:
Since today is Labor Day and this is our monthly prayer email, a verse came to my mind. What a convicting example is presented to us in Colossians 4:12 which says, “Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.”
Why don’t we take the opportunity on this Labor Day, a day generally given to the opposite of laboring, to let that verse sink in and challenge us. When Epaphras prayed, he labored, struggled, strained, strove. It’s a sports mindset where the athlete contends intensely with the one goal of winning.
Now pick an adverb to describe your pattern of prayer. Where does it happen? How often? How long? How strenuous? How easily distracted? The prayers of Epaphras were wrestling matches, with a foe to defeat. I have so much growing to do in my praying.
Could we learn to pray more like that? I need to. Would you repeat the prayer of Epaphras for your political representatives and their staffers and families? What if we really prayed, believing that the hearts of our leaders could “stand perfect” and be “fully assured in all the will of God”?
Thank you for remembering Capitol Ministries Maryland in your prayers. The people-group we seek to serve face many pressures and temptations in very public positions. Pray evangelistically for those who need to repent and call on Christ. Pray for growth and deepening obedience for those who already know the Lord. The stakes are high, not because our laws need changed but because God must be glorified.
And when we pray, let’s labor like Epaphras.
