Our battles in the heavenlies cannot be limited to the times we meet.
Assuredly, gathering together is a very necessary aspect within the body of Christ. But to the faithful at Colossae, Paul lets us know that even in absence we can make a difference in believer’s lives. “For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit…” (Colossians 2:5 NASB).
Even when we have never met each other face to face, we can make a difference through prevailing prayer.
“For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face” (Colossians 2:1).
It is undoubtedly easier to pray for those we know. Yet Paul was able to sincerely strive in prayer for those he had never met.
The key to such striving is love.
As our love for Christ increases, the Holy Spirit puts more love of Christ in our hearts. This, in turn, increasingly empowers us to see as He sees, work as He works, and pray as He would pray. Paul spoke of such empowerment when he said, “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (Colossians 1:29).
Christ’s empowering love moves us beyond the realm of personal acquaintance to where we can genuinely strive in prayer for those we have never met:
• …The saint in China suffering great persecution
• …The brother in Africa facing daily needs
• …The sister in the Muslim world seeking Christ’s freedom
• …The innocent facing destruction in Syria
• …The imprisoned working around death in North Korea.
Yes, we may be absent in body, but we can be one in spirit. We must become a distant warrior for those in such great need.
And we can by simply falling on our knees in prayer right where we are.
