No Small Thing

“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2 

Here in his letter to the Colossians, Paul uses the imperative mood when he writes, “Devote yourselves to prayer.” Prayer is central to our relationship with God. It is imperative that we pray. The Bible is loaded with scriptures indicating that God delights in our prayers and desires for us to pray. 

In Proverbs we read, “The prayer of the upright is His delight.” (Prov.15:8). The Psalmist writes, “Call upon me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you and you will give me glory.” (Ps. 50:15).

John Piper, theologian and pastor, defines prayer simply as asking God for things. He says, “The essence of prayer is the expression of our dependence on God through requests.” God is not annoyed when we ask Him for things. He is delighted. When we pray, we recognize our dependence on a God who is self-sufficient, a God whose nature is to give and to supply the needs of His created ones. 

Prayer is no small thing. It is central to why God created the universe. We were created in God’s image to display God’s glory. When we come to God in prayer with an attitude of thanksgiving, God delights to display His glory in us through our dependence on Him in prayer. God is urging us to devote ourselves to prayer.