‘We Have Not Stopped Praying for You.’ (6)
[Colossians 1:9-14]
In today's passage, Colossians 1:11, the Apostle Paul, in a letter to the faithful saints of the Colossian church, expresses his prayer that they may be strengthened with all power according to God's glorious might, for all endurance and patience with. When we look at this passage, we see that the fourth prayer request, where Paul continues to pray without ceasing for the faithful saints of the Colossian church, is for the Lord to empower them with His glorious might in all power. In other words, Paul prays incessantly for the faithful saints of the Colossian church to be strengthened by the power of God. The Modern Korean Bible translates "according to his glorious might" as "with all power according to his glorious might." Now, what is this "glorious might of God"? Ephesians 1:19-20, in the Modern Bible, sheds light on this: "and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms." From this passage, we can understand that the "glorious might of God" mentioned in Colossians 1:11 is the immense power of God, which is the same power demonstrated when God raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heavenly realms. By God's grace, we who believe in Jesus have already experienced this power. In other words, God, by His great power, resurrected us, who were dead in trespasses and sins (spiritually) (Eph. 2:5). We refer to this as our first resurrection (Rev. 20:5-6). The second resurrection will occur when, after we die, Jesus comes again to this world (the Second Coming of Jesus), and those of us who have already died will be resurrected by the great power of God (1 Cor. 15:51-53). Furthermore, the "glorious might of God" signifies that, just as God, by His great power, resurrected Christ and seated Him at His right hand in heavenly realms, He has also resurrected us with Christ and seated us with Him in heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6). Now, considering the phrase "with all power" in Colossians 1:11 from the Modern Korean Bible, what does "all power" mean? The Korean Revised Version states that Paul's fourth prayer request for the faithful brothers and sisters of the Colossian church is that "you may be strengthened with all power according to his (God's) glorious might." To find the answer, I turned to Ephesians 3:16 - "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being" (Modern Korean Bible). In this passage, Paul, kneeling, prays for the saints in the Ephesian church, asking God to strengthen their inner being with power through His Spirit. Reflecting on this passage in connection with Colossians 1:11 from the Modern Koran Bible, "with all power" refers to the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul prayed that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the faithful brothers and sisters of the Colossian church would be strengthened. Additionally, in Ephesians 6:10, Paul writes to the Ephesian saints, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power" (Modern Korean Bible). Considering this passage alongside Colossians 1:11 from the Modern Korean Bible, "in his mighty power" signifies the power of the Lord. Paul incessantly prayed that, through this power of the Lord, the faithful saints of the Colossian church would be strengthened. In conclusion, when contemplating Colossians 1:11 from the Modern Korean Bible and relating it to Ephesians 3:16 and 6:10, "all power" coming through "God's glorious might" can be understood as the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Lord. Paul continuously prayed that the faithful saints of the Colossian church would be strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Lord.
The Apostle Paul's fourth prayer request, as he incessantly prayed to God the Father for the faithful brothers and sisters of the Colossian church, was for them to be strengthened through the Lord's power and the power of the Holy Spirit, which comes through God's glorious might. The purpose of this prayer was to enable them to endure all difficulties and exhibit long-suffering (Col. 1:11). Here, "all patience" refers to enduring difficult circumstances, such as persevering through persecutions and resisting the errors of false teachers with faith (A Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments). And "long-suffering" implies not retaliating against difficult or demanding individuals but enduring patiently (MacArthur, Trench). The endurance of all these trials and long-suffering becomes possible when the faithful brothers and sisters of the Colossian church are strengthened through the Lord's power and the power of the Holy Spirit, which comes through God's glorious might. Therefore, the Apostle Paul continuously prayed to God on their behalf (v. 11).
We, too, should offer such prayers to God without ceasing. When I pray for you to God the Father, I pray that, through God's glorious might, the power of the Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit will strengthen you, enabling you to endure any difficult situations or people with faith and long-suffering. Whether for our beloved church family or our biological family, making this prayer a regular part of our intercession allows us all to be strengthened through the Lord's power and the power of the Holy Spirit, facing any challenging individuals or circumstances with enduring faith. I pray that both you and I, through faith, may endure and overcome any hardships we may encounter, relying on the glorious power that comes from our Lord and the Holy Spirit.
Are you giving thanks to God right now? Although it may seem challenging to express gratitude to God when we look at difficult situations through human eyes, when viewed through the eyes of faith in the Lord, even in seemingly impossible situations, we can find conditions for thanksgiving. Regardless of the situations we find ourselves in, we have conditions to give thanks throughout our lives and for eternity. The condition is none other than Jesus Christ. The condition is that we, through God's grace, have believed in Jesus Christ for salvation and obtained eternal life. Therefore, we must decide to give thanks today. We must recommit to living with gratitude, looking at Jesus through faith.
In 1 Thessalonians 2:13, the Apostle Paul states that he “never stops giving thanks to God." The reason for this is that the Thessalonian believers received the word of God, not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God (v. 13). Furthermore, because God's word was at work among them who believed (v. 13). How was God's word at work among the Thessalonian believers, prompting Paul to continually give thanks to God without ceasing? There were two reasons: (1) God's word enabled the Thessalonian believers to stand firm in faith, unshaken even in the midst of tribulations (3:2-3). (2) God's word led the Thessalonian believers to live lives pleasing to God (4:1). In other words, by living according to God's will, they pleased God (v. 3).