May 21st, 2020
I have always been amazed of those that God uses to move mountains through their time in prayer. Yet many of these Christians in the body of Christ may never be known by people this side of heaven. They are the saints that are awakened by the Lord to pray intently for anything or anyone that God lays on their heart. They are the ones that can move mountains through prayer, who seem to have the very ear of God. Sometimes they are the silent saints, behind the scenes, petitioning God for great things. They have a great love for the Lord and His people whom they serve. Maybe I’m describing you. Maybe I’m describing a man named Epaphras. Epaphras who? What? You’ve never heard of him? Let me tell you about this faithful prayer warrior.
(Colossians 4:12-13)…..Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis.
Now that is the only place you’ll hear about Eppaphras in the Scriptures. After all, Epraphras is not a name you hear much of. He was a member of the church in Colosse, and obviously a dear saint in the Lord. We know that he suffered imprisonment with Paul at one time. But the thing that really impresses me about this saint is what Paul wrote about him, “he is always laboring fervently for you in prayers.”
The intercessory work of the saint through prayer is the work behind the scenes, the silent ministry that the world knows little of, yet more powerful than any weapon on earth unleashing power from above that makes demons tremble!
This was a man with whom Paul must have been accustomed to praying, and clearly the apostle knew of his zeal from personal experience. But notice what Epaphras prayed for; Don’t miss it! Wait for it! “That you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God!” Wow! What if we as believers spent our time praying for other believers in this way instead of picking other Christians apart, tearing down the Church of Christ instead of building it up. This should be the way we pray for one another with all that is going on in this world right now. We need to pray like Epaphras! An unknown as far as history records him, but well known to God by the extensive time he spent in prayer for his brethren.
In this day and age, when you can feel the winds of spiritual warfare swirling all around – when faith will be tested to the extreme – my prayer is that you will stand perfect and complete in the will of God! With so much work to be done and so many of us under severe attack, never neglect the power of prayer, for this silent ministry counts so much more than you may realize, not only here on earth, but also, where it really counts…in heaven!