Earnest Prayer - Epaphras

Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God.

Colossians 4:12

Early African converts to Christianity became known for their commitment to regular times of private prayer. They made daily visits to the same spots near their village for their devotional times.

Over time, the paths from the villages to the places of prayer became well worn unless a believer neglected his time of prayer. When that happened, someone would kindly tell the negligent believer, “Brother, the grass grows on your path.”

Epaphras, a relatively obscure New Testament character, had a passion for prayer. As an associate of the apostle Paul, he apparently played a big role in establishing the Colossian church (see Colossians 1:7). Epaphras demonstrated such genuine love for the Colossians that Paul told them, “He always prays earnestly for you.”

In praying for the Colossians, Epaphras practiced two important elements of prayer: consistency and sincerity. He never let the grass grow on his path, and he always prayed from the heart, which is how a man with a heart for prayer behaves toward those he claims to love.

Can you, like Epaphras, make room for a regular time of prayer on behalf of those you love? If grass has grown on your path, what alterations can you make in your schedule to make prayer a more regular priority?

Nothing makes more of a difference in your walk with Christ than regular times of prayer. With all the people who daily pass through your world, surely there are at least a few whom God has laid on your heart. Pray for them—beginning with your own family.