Though his name appears only three times in the New Testament, you ought to know Epaphras. What is said of him is not only interesting, but instructive.
For example, Colossians 4:12-13 says, “Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you.”
The first thing to notice is that Epaphras is commended for his hard work in prayer for the church. Sadly, I must admit that I do not always give prayer the attention it deserves.
I pray at the start or the end of meetings. I may pray before a meal. If something really worries me, I will pray about it, but what I need to understand is that prayer is not just another thing that Christians do, it is the thing.
Essentially, prayer is the only real spiritual work we have because it is what brings the power of God into our circumstances. As the saying goes, “When we work, we work. When we pray, God works.”
The other interesting thing is the content of Epaphras’ prayers. When I pray, I ask for things like peace, safety and joy for myself and those around me. By contrast, Epaphras prayed that the church would, “stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”
In other words, while my concerns are often physical and circumstantial, Epaphras prayed for the souls of his friends. This is even more significant given the fact that the church of his day was being persecuted by the Romans.
In fact, the letter to the Colossians was written from a jail cell. If anyone needed peace and safety, it was Epaphras and his friends, but he prayed for their faith instead. In other words, he prayed with a much bigger picture in mind.
Epaphras’ example encourages us take prayer most seriously. It reminds us to pray about the eternal rather than just the temporary. In doing so, we too will become tuned into what is God is doing around us instead of just doing whatever seems right to us.
James 4:2 says, “You do not have because you do not ask”.
Maybe it is time to become serious about asking.
