Day 28 – Laboring in Prayer

Epaphras, who is one of you, a slave of Christ, salutes you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand firm, perfect and fulfilled in all the will of God. – Colossians 4:12

Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him, or know Him; but you know Him, for he dwells with you and shall be in you. – John 14:17

Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? – 1 Corinthians 6:19

To a healthy person, work is a delight and that person works hard at what they are passionate about. The believer who is in full health–has a clear conscience, a pure heart, and a desire to serve God, whose heart is filled with God’s Spirit–labors fervently in prayer. For what? True intercession is a fervent prayer for others. The word labor seems odd here, but often intercession feels like labor, like a mother giving birth to a child. But this is a glorious thing with a sure reward, bringing life into the world. The intercessor prays for their brothers and sisters to stand whole and complete in all the will of God; that they may know what God will is for them, how He calls them to live, and that they will be led and walk by the Holy Spirit. Labor fervently in prayer that all God’s children may know this, as possible, as divinely sure.

 The Holy Spirit is the power of God for the salvation of all humanity. He only works as He dwells in the church. He is given to believers that they might know God the Father, and the Son; and enables them to live wholly as God would have them live, in the full experience and witness of Him who saves completely. Pray to God that every one of His people may personally know the Holy Spirit and His purpose in their lives! This is more than them having the Holy Spirit, but some live as strangers of the God that lives inside of them. Pray that He, in all His fullness, is received by them! That He will reveal Jesus to us and empower us to be His witnesses. We cannot expect to live as our Father would have us live, without having Him in His fullness, without being filled with Him! Pray that all God’s people, even those here in America and far away in churches gathered in the Majority World, may learn to say, ‘I trust the Holy Spirit’.