Praying for an Open Door

Read: Colossians 4.2-18

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: In his commentary on this passage of Colossians, Wayne McCown notes the following:

"The materials at the close of Colossians reflect its origins as a letter. After final exhortations of a personal nature, the apostle Paul greets his fellow servants in Christ, then concludes with a handwritten salutation. This section has the appearance of a miscellaneous medley; but it does have coherence when viewed in light of the letter's theme. It illustrates in practical ways the nature of Christian servanthood, which is a counterpart to Christ's sovereignty. The theme of ministry/servanthood is evoked by the apostle's own example of Christian concern and by the actions of other persons named."

"The apostle requests the prayers of his readers, to the end that “God may open a door for our message” (Colossians 4.3). Here we find prayer coupled with evangelistic concern. Both the apostle and his readers, in different circumstances, are joined in a common endeavor. Christianity is a missionary faith, and we define our mission in terms of evangelism. However, unless we witness in the power of the Holy Spirit, little can be accomplished for God. Thus we are aware of our need for personal and corporate prayer as we undertake the work of evangelism."

"There is a dearth of prayer and evangelism in the modern church. This is not true worldwide, but it is true within American and European Christianity. A revival of prayer is desperately needed if the Gospel is to flourish and new converts are to be ushered into the kingdom of God. This is the challenge of God's Word.'