Laboring Earnestly

Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. Colossians 4:12

Laboring earnestly in prayers. That was the phrase that stuck out to me as I wrote this passage out. Although I also love the prayer that “they stand perfect and fully assured in the will of God”.

I know that I have issues with consistency even in prayer not that I don’t pray daily but I don’t always pray for the same people or the same things when I pray. When I do, it almost feels robotic being done for religious purpose not out of a laboring earnestly for some one or some cause.

Laboring earnestly is a phrase from Strong’s G75 – agōnizomai Meaning to endeavor with strenuous zeal, strife, to obtain something followed by an infinitive. Earnestly means with sincere and intense conviction.

There are times I pray this way but I don’t feel I do it often enough. It would be easy for me to feel condemned as I write this. Instead, I can choose to use it as an example of something to work towards. I can let it motivate me to pray with an intense conviction and sincerity that won’t come from a religious habit, but from the prompting of Holy Spirit.

Lord I do want a deeper, more intense conviction for a prayer life not just a few times a week but more frequently. I pray that I would stand perfect and fully assured that I am in Your will God. Help me also to help others be able to stand perfect and fully assured that they are in Your will also. In Jesus name. Amen.