🙏 Colossians 1:9 | "we have not ceased to pray..."

together with

Happy Monday, everyone!

If you’re paying attention to the people around, you’ll notice that we all need prayer.

We read it in our replies, see it on the news, and feel it in our own lives. That is why this week is about learning to pray without ceasing.

In today’s email…

• 🤯 The wildest part about Paul’s letter to the Colossian Church

• 🙏 A radical view of prayer

• 🎵 A song on the power of AMEN

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you,

asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will

in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Colossians 1:9

CONTEXT 📕 

Paul wrote the book of Colossians from prison.

Think about that: locked up, chained down, cut off from the people he loved. Yet instead of pitying himself, Paul picked up his pen and wrote.

What’s wild is that he had never even met the Colossian Christians. The gospel had reached them through Epaphras, one of Paul’s students, and the report was stunning (Colossians 1:3–8):

• They believed in Jesus

• Their faith was real

• Their love for one another was visible

• Their hope in Christ was unshakable

If that’s what I heard about a church, I’d probably say, “Awesome, job well done. I’ll move on to the next group.”

But not Paul.

Instead, he doubled down and said:

Catch that.

Paul never stopped praying for them. Not just when things went poorly. Not just when things looked shaky. He prayed even when things were going well.

That’s radical. 

Because if we’re honest, many of us treat prayer like a fire extinguisher — break glass in case of emergency.

Paul treated prayer more like oxygen — constant, necessary, and life-giving.

And what was his prayer?

Not “God, keep them safe” or “God, make life easier.”

Paul prayed, “Fill them with the knowledge of Your will. Give them spiritual wisdom. Give them understanding.”

Translation: Paul wanted them to know God so deeply that it changed how they lived. 

He prayed for alignment with God’s will, not escape from their problems.

That’s the kind of prayer that fuels radical devotion.

APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

Let’s make this practical:

📖 Read Colossians 1:1–9. Notice the order. Gratitude for what God has already done is followed immediately by prayer for even more growth.

📝 Memorize Colossians 1:9 this week. Write it down. Say it out loud. Put it in your phone background. Let it shape how you think about prayer this week.

💡 Ask yourself: When do I usually pray? Only when I’m in crisis? Or am I praying for wisdom and deeper devotion even in good seasons?

🙏 Pray

Father, forgive me for the times I treat prayer like an emergency tool instead of a way of life. Teach me to pray like Paul — consistently, persistently, and boldly. Fill me with the knowledge of Your will. Give me wisdom and understanding through Your Spirit, and grow me into the kind of person who lives fully aligned with You. Amen.

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SONG OF THE WEEK 🎵 

All God’s people say AMEN along with all creation. It doesn’t matter how good or how hard life is right now, prayer is the answer.

Enjoy this song by one of the most played artists in our household right now — Forrest Frank. His music always glorifies God and our kids are big fans!

Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music | Full Malachi Daily Playlist

ANSWER KEY ✅ 

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you,

asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will

in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Colossians 1:9