Average User Rating: 
This weekend I got to watch Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls. A crazy Russian lady wants to control the minds of 1950s Western society and turn them into communists without anyone even knowing its happening. Classic Indiana Jones, am I right?
But it got me thinking about this part in Colossians 4, where Paul writes:
"Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving."
It's short. It's to the point
And it just seems so...uninteresting.We care for the flock and do our best to protect it, but we also lead it and train it and engage with it in battle.
Do you get all geeked up about "prayer services" or "prayer commitments"? I don't. I'd rather watch Indiana Jones again. I think that prayer has been lost in translation over the centuries. Because in the verse above, Paul isn't saying "Hey guys, be good about talking to God." The words mean so much more than what I saw at first glance. "Devote" and "keeping alert" have the connotation of urgency. Prayer is not, then, just a solemn salutation.
Paul doesn't tell the people in Colossae to be good and religious and bow your head and close your eyes so he can say, "I see that hand."
He is pleading with them (and me) to see the urgency of prayer. Later in the chapter he tells of how Epaphras has been "laboring" for them in terminology that suggests intense competition or battle! Prayer is where we fight. Prayer is how we fight.
We pray all the time because we are at war.
As youth workers, we are the shepherd and the sergeant. We care for the flock and do our best to protect it, but we also lead it and train it and engage with it in battle. For Paul, Epaphras exemplified this idea. "He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God" (Col. 4:12, NLT). What might happen if we devote ourselves to prayer for our students? What might happen if we become their Epaphras?
Sean Kahlich is the minister to students at Ridgecrest Baptist Church. skahlich@ridgecrest.org
My youth are good about praying and praying together. Our focus is often on the generation of youth coming forth. However, i am posting because i believe the burden of prayer is by far first on us for our kids. It is our job to hold them before the Lord that they come into everything they are to be. I can't tell you the amount of times i have prayed and seen a teen come out of oppressions or troubles or even unbelief. There is something about prayer that has an incredible ability to effect eachother. We can build up the Body of Christ with it and we should... We should always keep in mind that one of Christ's last words to Peter wasn't about being an apostle. God was going to work that in Peter automatically providing one thing... "I pray that your faith not fail." Christ was going to suffer, but He put His focus on prayer that Peter's faith not fail. This is important for us to follow. Yes, we are the leaders, but we are here to serve...and there is a power of prayer for our kids that says, "Let you're faith not fail...."
Jon Wirthlin 2:03:58pm on 3/25/2009
Offensivehi there, im a youth leader here in South Africa and the thing for me about prayer and youth is that the youth around here dont grasp the importance of prayer and suppilication. You see the society we live in is not what they used to live in in the biblical days. Nowa days kids get evrything they want from their parents. Which means they have the mentality that they dont need God. They sit infront of the tv all day. lolol theres always sumtin better to do than to pray. My eperience with youth of today is thaat they dont grasp the important o suffering and prayer anymore. Everything is easy and conveniant. In your comfortzone. So they have this mindset of serving God in the same way. What I try to do is to shift their mind set and have them look at the faith in a different way. Coz I know that once they get what im trying to say a whole new generation will arise nd people will serve the Lord through prayer and concecration.
Owen 4:03:10am on 3/24/2009
OffensivePrayer seems to be such a hard thing to do for teens. Likewise, they aren’t drawn to do it. They fail to see the need for it. Then when they finally do it, it is for a few minutes and then they are done. We must labor in prayer meaning that we have to dig in and be ready to hold on until we get an answer. Jacob held onto the angel until he was blessed. We must have that same tenacity when we pray. We must be willing to set everything else aside. Prayer is indeed our form of battle. We are not fighting flesh and blood but the forces of darkness and evil. Therefore, we are strongest when we are on our knees. It is the prayers we pray that keep us afloat. It is when we talk to God that he can spare us from our hardships and turmoil. Prayer is the way we fight the good fight. Failing to pray leads to weakness. We must take it very seriously, otherwise we may suffer a loss.
Jeremy Lile 5:03:35pm on 3/10/2009
Offensive
GROUP MAGAZINE OFFER
Free Trial Issue! Subscribe Today. Click here to sign up.
* = required field