November 12, 2025 - Colossians 4:1-6 - "The Importance of Prayer"

Colossians 4:1-6

"Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."

The Grace of God directs all that we are and do. In the Epistle to the Colossians, the Spirit of God teaches that in every relationship—wives and husbands, children and fathers, servants and masters—all stand on level ground before the Master in heaven. “Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have a master in heaven” (v.1). There is no distinction in grace between master and servant, husband and wife, father and child. In the world, men love their titles and positions, but in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female, for all are one in Him (Galatians 3:28).

The Gospel brings every sinner to see that apart from the LORD Jesus Christ and His finished work, there is no standing before God or man. The Word of the LORD in Romans speaks to this: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another” (Romans 12:3–5). Christ alone is the Head. All others are members of His body, dependent upon Him. The pastor is not above the congregation; he is one sinner whom the LORD has blessed to declare His Gospel to other sinners. All the work being done is Christ’s work. The sheep are His sheep, the souls that are brought are those bought with His blood. The Spiritual house being built is His habitation, His church, His body, His glory.

When we come to worship, we leave our titles at the door. The Grace of God makes no difference between the master and the servant. Every believer stands clothed in the same Righteousness, the Righteousness of God alone that Christ earned and established on their behalf. The pastor, the servant, the parent, and the child—all stand as needy sinners beneath one LORD and Master. From this truth flows the importance of prayer. “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (v.2). Before a word is spoken about prayer, we must know the God to Whom we pray. He is the Sovereign Master of all. Many think they are praying, but they pray to a god of their own imagination, one that can be persuaded or changed. That is not prayer; that is idolatry. True prayer begins with knowing the Just and Sovereign God Who reigns over all.

Prayer does not change God or His will; it aligns our hearts with His purpose. A servant who rises in the morning and never consults his master is not faithful. Neither is the servant who tries to convince the master to do what he wants. True prayer gives glory to God alone. It confesses Him as The LORD, bows to His will, and seeks His Grace to submit to His purpose. Only the Spirit of God can cause the children of God to pray. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26). We are weak, and He is strong. We do not pray to inform God, but to seek His mind and will.

Paul, the apostle, knowing his need, asked others to pray for him “that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ” (v.3). Even in bonds, he knew the Word of God cannot be bound. Prayer for the open door, for the opened heart, and for the opened lips—these are the true doors of ministry. It is God Who opens opportunity, Who opens the sinner’s heart, and Who opens the preacher’s mouth to declare the mystery of Christ.

Prayer is intercession, watchfulness, and thanksgiving. It bows the heart in humility before the Master in heaven, watches for His direction, and gives thanks in all things. It is the confession that God is sovereign, that we are weak, and that Christ alone is worthy of all glory. The preacher, the master, the servant, and all of God’s people continue in prayer because of Who He is and because of what He has done. Through the blood shed unto death of the LORD Jesus Christ, the believer may cry unto God and be heard—not for his own sake, but for Christ’s sake alone. In Him, the importance of prayer is revealed: our need, His sovereignty, and His glory forever.