Praying Hard for People We May Never Meet
We know the Apostle Paul deeply loved his brothers and sisters in Philippi and he had a soft spot in his heart for the Ephesians. Perhaps he worried the most about the Corinthians (four letters to that church!), but how about the Colossians?
“…Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints … we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will … so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work …” (Colossians 1.3-10)
“I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that (your) hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ …” (Colossians 2.1-2)
To the best of our knowledge, Paul never met anyone from Colossae.
It’s always good to have a home church, to have a strong base from which to do God’s work, brothers and sisters with whom we share similar wins and losses, fellow Christians who come to our homes with prayer (and with food!) as our circumstances require. But it is also important to understand the Kingdom of God around the world. Christ-followers in every country face similar struggles and victories.
Peter said it this way in 1 Peter 5.8-9: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”
That’s one reason Northside supports the Lord’s church in Argentina, in Ecuador, and in Mexico. We are blessed to enjoy personal relationships with brothers and sisters in these far-away countries. We know something of them (and they know something of us), and so we join their fight for our God. We share their victories and we share their losses. Let’s always be thankful for the Kingdom of God, then build our fellowship with brothers and sisters around the world as we dedicate our lives to God.