Praying for Piety | Part 3

Paul’s unceasing prayer for those at Colossae is that they would be filled with essential doctrine so that the entirety of their lives would be one ongoing doxology (Colossians 1:9-14). As a gospel response today, our calling is to present ourselves “as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” as an ongoing spiritual act of worship in accordance to God’s Word (Romans 12:1-2). In order for this to be our daily reality, we must pray. John Bunyan wrote: “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.” Or, as Tim Challies wrote:

Prayer and work belong together. They are like two oars that, when used together, keep a rowboat moving forward. If you use only one oar—praying without working or working without praying—you will row in circles. Piety and prayer are closely related because prayer is the primary means of maintaining communion with God.¹

Continuing in Colossians 1:10-14, Paul gives four descriptions of piety, or the fruit of prayer, in walking “in a manner worthy of the Lord”:

“(1) Bearing fruit in every good work and (2) increasing in the knowledge of God; (3) being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; (4) giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

If Spirit-given knowledge is the enabling root of our spiritual growth, then “walking in a manner worthy of the Lord” (or piety) is the fourfold, Spirit-enabled fruit of prayer as described in Colossians 1:10-14.

First, Paul prays they would walk worthy of the Lord by “bearing fruit in every good work” (10b). In Ephesians 2:8-10, Paul makes clear that we are not meritoriously saved by our works, but we are indeed saved to do good works “which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” In John 15:8, Jesus said, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

Second, in addition to bearing fruit, Paul prays they would walk worthy of the Lord by “increasing in the knowledge of God” (10c). First Peter 2:2 says, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.” To know God is to want to know God more. This is manifested in deeper delight in God’s Word, as the Psalmist writes in Psalm 119:97, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.”

Increasing in the knowing of God through prayer is then manifested in our obedience to His Word. First John 2:3-6 says: “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

Third, Paul prays they would walk worthy of the Lord by “being strengthened will all power” (v. 11; 1:29; Ephesians 6:10-20). How much power? From whom does this power come and for what purpose is this power given? Paul writes “according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.” “Being strengthened” is continuous for the believer through the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 3:16, Paul prays, "that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” We are strengthened by God who has inexhaustible and infinite power! Therefore, concerning piety, should we ever ask, “I can’t do that to which God calls me”? (Philippians 4:13; John 15:5-7).

What did Paul pray they would be strengthened for? Colossians 1:11 says “for all endurance and patience with joy.” As defined by William Hendriksen, “Endurance is the grace to bear up under, the bravery of perseverance in the performance of one’s God-given task in spite of every hardship and trial, the refusal to succumb to despair or cowardice.”² According to A. W. Pink, “Patience is a steady and thankful bearing of all troubles, … refusing to be overwhelmed by those troubles, persevering in the discharge of duty to the end … and encouraging oneself by expectation of that eternal and blessed glory which awaits us after our appointed race is run.”³

The knowledge of God’s loving promises along with His power strengthens His children for “all endurance and patience with joy.” How can there be “joy” in the midst of hardship and trials? The joy is not the trial itself, but is the fruit of the Spirit granted to us even through the trials in knowing God is with us, for us, and is preparing us for uninterrupted joy in His eternal presence (Romans 8:18, 28-39; Philippians 4:4-5; James 1:2-4).

Fourth, Paul prays they would walk worthy of the Lord by “giving thanks to the Father” (vv. 12-14; 4:2). In considering Colossians 1:12-14, we find plenty of reason to not only rejoice but to continually give thanks to the Father, for He “has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Let us pray that Spirit would help us grasp more fully what it means that Christ has not only bought us but also brought us from darkness to light. And as we praise the Lord in prayer, let us also pray unceasingly for further piety, “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him” (Colossians 1:10) that others may see our good works and give glory to our Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

¹ Tim Challies, “The Keys to Piety and Prayer,” https://www.christianity.com/blogs/tim-challies/the-keys-to-piety-and-prayer.html.

² William Hendriksen, Exposition of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon (Baker, 2002), 59.

³ A. W. Pink, Gleanings from Paul (Banner of Truth Trust, 2006), 315-316.