By The Apostle Paul knew that the Christian walk to maturity does not happen automatically.
The Gospel saves effectively all by itself – thank God for that (for an example of such a prayer, read Colossians 1:3-8).
But once converted, we are required to labour hard towards spiritual maturity, spiritual completeness.
One of the labours we ought to excel at in our own lives as well as practise on behalf of one another, is the labour of praying for spiritual maturity. This must be the most common of our prayer for other believers. In fact, praying for spiritual maturity is a prayer you can pray for every Christian – even the ones whose exact troubles and concerns you might not be aware of.
Colossians 1:9-14 is an example of a prayer for spiritual maturity. Read it, pray it for your spouse, parents, and children. Pray it for the saints at church – the ones you are good friends with, and those you know only by sight.
Paul had probably never met most of the Colossians, but that didn’t hinder him from praying good prayers for them. Learn from him. Make Colossians 1:9-14 one of your favourite prayers.
Lord, please fill me with the knowledge of your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that I will walk in a manner worthy of you, fully pleasing to you: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to your glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered me from the domain of darkness and transferred me to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Prayer adapted from Colossians 1:9-14