In Colossians 4:12, the apostle Paul tells the church at Colossae that Epaphras "labors earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in the will of God." At first glance it's easy to read this as just another salutation in the conclusion of Paul's letter. But if you pause and examine Epapharas' prayer it is one every believer would want prayed over them and one we should prayer for each other. Let's examine the prayer more closely.
First, Epaphrus prays that the believers in Colossae would "stand perfect...in the will of God." Is not this the yearning of every true follower of Christ? Who doesn't want to be in God's perfect will? And who doesn't want their fellow Christians to be blessed by being in God's perfect will? Even more specific is the request to "stand." This means to always be in it, to be permanently fixed in the perfect will of God. If we could learn to "stand," instead of walking or running out of or away from God's will, think of how our life might change. Think of how pleasing we would be to our God. Imagine the effectiveness of our witness to those we interact with on a daily basis. I'm reminded of what the prophet told King Asa who had chose to act on his own will instead of God's. The prophet's words are recorded in 2 Chronicles 16:9 -"For the eyes of The Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His."
Secondly, Epaphras desires the church to be "fully assured in the will of God." To be fully assured means to be complete or filled up completely. This phrase gives the picture of a believer being complete or satisfied in the will of God. Again who would not want this prayed over them? Which of us does not want to be completely satisfied by the will of God? This assurance brings the ultimate peace of mind and the ultimate satisfaction in life. It is a peace that the world cannot give!
So today and every day let us labor earnestly in prayer for ourselves and our fellow Christians that we would all "stand perfectly and fully assured in the will of God."
