A Spiritual Labor

Colossians 4:2-4

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. (Colossians 4:2)

JOHN HYDE, AN AMERICAN MISSIONARY to India in the early 1900s, constantly had profound prayers weighing on his heart. He prayed for the people he ministered to and the cities he ministered in. He prayed for fellow missionaries and for God to raise up more workers to send into the harvest. Those who knew him told stories of his bedroom light coming on at 2 a.m., 4 a.m., and 5 a.m.—every night’s sleep punctuated by intercession for others. His evangelical outlook prompted far-reaching evangelical prayers, and God answered them. Because of his persistence in prayer, he became known as “Praying Hyde.”

We might wonder, Is that kind of inconvenience really necessary when talking to a God who is available all the time and who answers many prayers before we even voice them? But God has historically responded in power to people like Hyde who pray with tears and persistence. Paul wrote of Epaphras praying earnestly for the Colossians, describing his intensity with a wrestling term from which we get the word “agonize” (Colossians 4:12). He told the church he agonized for them and the Laodiceans as well (Colossians 2:1). He made it clear in words and by example that no matter how familiar and intimate we are with the Father, Son, and Spirit, our prayers are more than a casual matter and can accomplish a lot in the spiritual realm. Some might think us strange to spend a night on our knees. God welcomes the fellowship and the petitions.

Press through in your prayers to God. You may not always see what he does with them, but the world is in desperate need of many of the things you will pray. In the age of the Internet, we are used to making transactions with a click. In the spiritual realm, a battle is raging, and clicks are not enough. Fill heaven with the sounds of your faith and perseverance, and expect answers to come. God changes the world through the requests of those who intercede on its behalf.

{Father, forgive me for neglecting the one thing this world needs most: the prayers of your people. Fill my heart with zeal for coming to the throne of grace. Teach me to plead your promises. Align my prayers with your heart and answer in power. Amen.