PRAY THE WORD

This post by kathylarkman was originally published at GRACE PLACE

I have been sitting in the back garden in the beautiful sunshine a lot—as you do in these Covid days…..

……Thinking and praying of how our summer months will be best spent on GRACE PLACE; post-bible study of COLOSSIANS: ROOTED.

I was so enriched by this letter of  “IF YOU HAVE CHRIST, THEN YOU HAVE EVERYTHING”, that I long for us to process further what we have learned. My prayer is that our hearts and souls will be so saturated and captured by Christ that we can’t help but be transformed more everyday into this reality! It is a daily step by step process as we grow in the Lord, isn’t it?

Well, then it came to me how to spend our summer—— Pray the Word. Pray Colossians!

It helps that the first part of the first chapter IS already a prayer.  The beauty of practising to pray the Word of God is powerful.  Jen Wilkin, in her book, Women of the Word, puts it so poignantly: “The Word is living and active. The Word will conform you by dividing you. And in the dividing, miracle of miracles, it will render you whole.”

Many times we don’t know how to pray, do we? The Holy Spirit is always interceding for us, thank you Lord. (Romans 8: 22-27) “The Spirit intercedes for his people in accordance with God’s will.” So, sisters, we KNOW that God’s Word is God’s will for our lives, individually; and as a church community. After all, this letter was written to the early church.

In the daily messiness and mundaneness of daily life, praying the Word sets our hearts and minds on the certainty of His will-–  His plan for us! And, this investment in our relationship with God is what will sustain us and enable us to stand firm during the storms and tough circumstances that will no doubt come our way.

So, I welcome you to PRAY THE WORD this summer with me and the team; and with your study buddy.
Use this as an impetus to pray the Word in other passages of scripture! You may even want to write your own prayer from the Colossian passages each week as a form of journaling. There are so many possibilities.
Today’s prayer is a thanksgiving and gratitude to God from Colossians 1:1-2.

“This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. May God our Father give you grace and peace.”
Lord, we offer up to You our gratitude today. Thank you for giving us the message of the Gospel of Christ Jesus through Paul and his letter to the Colossians. We are comforted and encouraged to know that this is your plan and will many centuries ago in Colosse, and your plan and will for us now in Corsham.

Thank you for Christian friends who are in our lives like Timothy was for Paul, and Paul for Timothy. Lord may it multiply. Thank you, that because of Jesus, we are counted as holy and faithful in your sight. What a treasure you have given us! Help us to remain faithful to this treasure, both individually and in our church family to you God.

Finally, thank you for grace and peace- that can only truly come through YOU, our Triune God. Remind us this week, Lord, the amazing treasure of grace and peace that we have through Jesus Christ our Lord. Help us to dig for this treasure this week and to share it with others. For your glory’s sake,  AMEN.