Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:2-6

This is the last post on Colossians for the year. Next week I might start a different kind of post as part of the Christmas season.

But for now, let’s look at these five verses. As the header shows, the word Continue hit me with some impact. It’s a tough few years we’ve had. And things are only going to get more challenging. But God’s Word instructs us to continue. That is powerful because there are times we might want to give up and ask, ‘why suffer with this title of Christian when the whole world seems to be turning against us?’

But it is not at all about having a title, or a label. It is about a relationship with the Triune God. About walking with Him, submitting to Him, learning from Him, and loving Him.

We had an opportunity on Thanksgiving to show some of the gratefulness we have in that relationship. But it cannot be a casual relationship full of surface thankfulness. As the scripture verses above point out, it is being steadfast in our prayers. It is being watchful in the process of giving thanks. Not a casual thank you without consideration but having spent the time to recognize where prayer is needed and to be thankful for the privilege to pray. It is also about being willing to seek prayer from others because this journey cannot be walked alone.

Like Paul, we need to pray and seek prayer, that, no matter what circumstances might make us feel trapped, that God will open a door for us to share Christ. That we will be able to speak His Truth clearly, using wisdom when dealing with non-believers, and believers outside our “prison”, and not waste time putting on falseness. To share truth, clearly and simply with graciousness and diligent preparation to be able to answer questions others might have.

We continue.