Prayer is the World's Greatest Wireless Connection!

Philippians 1:9-11

9      And this I pray that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,

10   So that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day  of Christ;

11  Having been filled with the fruits of righteousness which comes through   Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Some things change . .  Some stay the same

 When Paul wrote to the Philippians, it was not easy to know how to pray for others who lived any distance away.  Cell phones, email, texting, and other communication forms didn’t exist.   On the other hand, even with all the technology we possess, we still don’t know exactly how to pray for friends or family who are serving the Lord a great distance away.   Paul’s prayer for believers was ONE SIZE FITS ALL, but at the same time it was very broad and touched on the four most important areas of life.

¨ Paul prayed about their love

¨ Paul prayed about their priorities

¨ Paul prayed about their integrity

¨ Paul prayed about their fruitfulness

His prayer can be a model for us.

I am praying about your love (v. 9)

Paul prays that the love which already exists would continue to grow and abound.  The word used for abound means to overflow and was often used to describe the waves hitting a beach.  Paul wanted their love, regardless of the circumstance they faced, to continue to grow.  At the same time, he wanted their love to be anchored in the truth and applied correctly to every situation.   He prayed that their love would be anchored in the “real knowledge” of God’s Word and not swayed by the counterfeit knowledge of the day as they exercised biblical discernment.

I am praying about your priorities (v. 10)

Paul understood that we all make choices every day.  He wanted those he loved to “approve the things that are excellent.”  The word “approve” was used in assaying metal — Paul knew they needed to choose the real gold rather than the fool’s gold offered by the world.   He wanted their love to be anchored in God’s truth so that their choices would be discerning.  He prayed that the Lord would look at their choices and say “good choice.”   We certainly don’t know all the choices our friends face from day to day, but we can pray they choose what is excellent.

I am praying about your integrity (v. 10)

An abounding love that is anchored in God’s truth will approve things that are excellent and result in a life that is marked by sincerity and blamelessness.  We can pray for our friends’ integrity in a world that is rapidly moving away from Godly values.  Sincerity equals genuineness and freedom from hypocrisy.   Living out our faith is hard in a fallen world, so we can also pray for a testimony that is blameless and gives no opportunity for others to point out areas of inconsistency in our lives.

I am praying about your fruitfulness (v. 11)

Lastly we can pray for fruitfulness in the lives of God’s servants.   Pray that God will use them daily to impact the next generation for eternity and that their lives will be filled with fruit.   Paul reminds us of the source of the fruit — it comes through Jesus Christ.  We are channels only, and unless we are connected to the source, we can offer nothing.   All we do is to be for “the glory and praise of God.”

Conclusion

Even when you don’t know the temptations or battles God’s servants face, we can pray about their love, their priorities, their integrity, and their fruitfulness.  We can do so, knowing that Paul’s prayer is ONE SIZE FITS ALL.