Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Do you ever look back on this tender childhood prayer and wonder how to regain the simplicity embodied in these lines?
If such a desire resonates within you, permit me to share a personal discovery. Through the teaching of Dr. Charles Stanley, the Lord led me years ago to Colossians 1:9-14. Since then, this supernatural gem is my (almost) daily prayer passage for those I hold most dear.
Morning after morning, I turn to Colossians 1:9-14 to pray for my beloved family. This all-encompassing passage from the Apostle Paul allows me to enter the Throne Room with encouragement and confidence. This heartfelt, power-packed prayer embodies a thoroughness that, according to Dr. Stanley, “covers every area of our lives that needs the Lord’s touch.”
Consider the text as a whole:
For this reason also, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Consider each verse separately:
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God
11 being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom the Son he loves
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Consider memorization:
Committing this passage to memory deepens the meaning even further. And, by inserting the pronoun I (in place of we) reverent personalization occurs.
The Holy Spirit continues to open the door of my own heart and soul to stand in awe of the power-packed potential of these six verses. So, with joy, I invite you to join me as we pray for our loved ones—verse by verse and phrase by phrase—a supernatural prayer saturated in simplicity and significance.
Living With Eternal Intentionality®
In your mind, what makes this prayer so powerful? How do you see these verses making an impact on your prayer life?
