challenge

(The verses in this post are from the NASB.)

I got challenged by a Scripture verse!

It’s true that God gave His children the Word so we could grow in confidence. This is what Paul tells the Roman Christians:

“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” – Romans 15:4

But there are times when the Bible shows us where we’re falling short. I discovered this about my prayer life from the following verse:

“Epaphras, who is one of your own, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, always striving earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.” – Colossians 4:12

Good for Epaphras, he sounds like a real prayer warrior! He not only interceded for the Colossian church, but he did so with vigor and effort. I get the impression he put his heart into his words before God.

He didn’t quit, either. Paul says Epaphras was “always” praying for the Colossians. He was consistent and courageous–the stuff of a real prayer ministry.

Most of the time, I pray in a mild fashion. There’s nothing wrong with being quiet and still before the Lord, but some situations call for a more aggressive approach.

The term Paul uses to describe this attitude and action is “striving earnestly” (which I put in bold in the verse above). The Greek verb is agonizomai, from which we derive the English word “agony.” It sounds intense!

This word occurs eight times in the New Testament. We find it twice in the gospels.

“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” – Luke 13:24

“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.’” – John 18:36

To strive or fight–that’s the essence of this verb. Whatever kind of resistance Epaphras experienced in prayer, he wrestled through it so the Colossians could gain clarity about God’s will.

“Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. So they do it to obtain a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” – 1 Corinthians 9:25

Yes, that’s four words in English for one in Greek! The Olympic Games and other sporting contests illustrate the principle of agonizing. It doesn’t refer to emotional distress or displeasure. The word emphasizes the effort athletes put into winning. On television, I hear athletes talk about “leaving it all on the field.” They give everything they have. That’s what agonizomai is getting at.

In the context of prayer, we need to cover the bases. We have to treat the subject (and the people) we’re praying about with thoroughness.

This sounds like work, and it is!

“For this purpose I also labor, striving according to His power which works mightily within me.” – Colossians 1:29

“For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all mankind, especially of believers.” – 1 Timothy 4:10

In the two verses above, Paul connects labor and striving. The work of the ministry requires, even demands, full-hearted commitment and effort. But this isn’t meant to weary us. God supplies us the strength to proclaim His good news. His gospel, His power–we partner with Him to spread the word!

The same is true about prayer. It’s not easy, but God’s Spirit empowers us to pray through issues. We can prevail because the Lord is helping us.

 “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” – 1 Timothy 6:12

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” – 2 Timothy 4:7

Finally, even faith involves fighting. We encounter all kinds of obstacles that challenge our trust in God and try to derail our walk with Jesus. And society throws objections to the content of the gospel all the time.

We encounter these in a keen way when we’re serving Christ. In some respects, ministry is a battlefield. God provides victory for His people, but we still have to fight. We have to join the battle. 

The struggle won’t last forever. Paul encouraged young Timothy to “fight the good fight of faith,” but he also declared the end of his own battle. He was going home to be with Jesus. We can be brave because we know our destination.

By the way, the word agonizomai shows up twice in a verse in the Greek Old Testament. Here it is:

“Then, as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply distressed, and set his mind on rescuing Daniel; and until sunset he kept exerting himself to save him.” – Daniel 6:14

The advisors to the Persian king, Darius, had tricked him into signing a decree forbidding anyone from praying to any god except the king for a month. Daniel ignored the decree which would cost him his life.

That was the plan anyway.

Before Daniel got tossed into the lions’ den, Darius fought to set him free. This wasn’t a physical battle; it was legal. The king was desperate to find a loophole or an exception–anything to safeguard Daniel.

He failed, but God didn’t. The Lord protected Daniel in the lion’s den and he suffered no harm. Not even a scratch!

So let’s bring all this back to prayer.

I said at the outset that Colossians 4:12 challenged me. I learned that my prayer life, as a whole, was too passive. I don’t believe that shouting impresses the Lord. Begging won’t incline Him to answer our prayers. There’s no substitute for faith. We pray because we trust who God is and what He can do.

But as followers of Jesus, we also know we have to practice our faith. We show our confidence in God by approaching Him in prayer and dealing with important issues.

So the challenge has encouraged me. And I hope that you, too, will dare to sink yourself into your prayers. The stakes are high, God will hear, so let’s go!