歌罗西教会不是使徒保罗建立的教会，使徒行传记载，保罗曾在以弗所住了两年，天天在会堂传讲，与人讨论福音，使一切住在亚细亚的人都听见主的道。显然在以弗所附近的歌罗西也有人来听保罗传讲福音，因而信了主，并且将福音传回家乡，这个人可能就是以巴弗。保罗被软禁在罗马的时候，以巴弗去探望保罗，并且向他报告歌罗西教会的情况。

虽然歌罗西教会不是保罗建立的，但他仍然藉由祷告显示对他们的关心：「我们自从听见的日子就不住地为你们祷告和祈求。」（1:9）接下来保罗记录了他的祷词，保罗曾经在他的书信中记录过几段祷词，这是最详细的一段。这段真挚的祷词可以成为我们为教会代祷的范本。

简单地说，保罗的祷告是要歌罗西教会知道上帝的旨意，并且得着能力去遵行。保罗先提到「上帝的旨意」，就是上帝拯救世人的计划。上帝的旨意不是我们的脑袋能推敲出来的，而是要在「属灵的智慧和悟性」中才能真正认识，也就是要靠圣灵的启示与引导才能明白。 （1:9）

认识了上帝的旨意之后，我们才会知道行善的目的是为了「谁」。世人行善的目的往往是为了自己，希望所做的功德能回向自己或子子孙孙，但基督徒「在一切的善事上结果子」是为了「对得起主，凡事蒙祂喜悦。」当我们的顺序对了，我们就会「对上帝的认识更有长进」，更多发现上帝旨意的奥秘。 （1:10）

我们不只要认识上帝的旨意，更要经验上帝荣耀的权能。为了使人信福音，上帝的权能可能彰显在医病赶鬼的神迹奇事上；但在已经信的人身上，上帝的权能往往彰显在生命品质的提升，如保罗的祷词里面所提到的，他祈求基督徒能靠着上帝的能力，「得以在一切事上力上加力，好使你们凡事欢欢喜喜地忍耐宽容。」（1:11）

在许多的困难中，也许我们会期待神迹发生。当然上帝可以这么做，特别是为了未信者。但對於我們這些跟隨耶穌的人，上帝更在意的是我们的生命能否在各样的情况中都可以「欢欢喜喜地忍耐宽容」。

有时我们会羡慕其他的弟兄姐妹，为何他们能亲身经历神迹，而我却没有？但在上帝眼中，更重要的是我们的生命结出了什么果子，而不是我们经历了什么神迹。

上帝知道我们在人生的不同阶段，需要学习什么样的功课。我们一定要相信，自从我们决志跟随耶稣的那一刻起，上帝荣耀的权能已经支配着我们的一生。祂知道什么事情对我们是最好的，祂做在我们身上的都是对的。上帝非常喜悦我们有这样的信心！

简体圣经 | https://www.bible.com/bible/140/COL.1.RCUVSS

繁體聖經 | https://www.bible.com/bible/139/COL.1.RCUV

The Church of Colossae was not established by the apostle Paul. According to the book of Acts, Paul stayed in Ephesus for two years, preaching and discussing the gospel at a lecture hall every day, so that all the people in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. 

Apparently, people from Colossae also came to listen to Paul's preaching and believed in the Lord, and then they took the gospel back to their hometown. One of these people may have been Epaphras. When Paul was under house arrest in Rome, Epaphras visited him and reported on the situation of the church in Colossae.

Although the Church of Colossae was not founded by Paul, he still showed his care for them through prayer: "since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you." (1:9, NIV) Paul then recorded his prayer. He had written several prayers in his letters, but this was the most detailed one. This sincere prayer can serve as a template for us to pray for the church.

In essence, Paul's prayer was for the Church of Colossae to know God's will and to have the power to carry it out. Paul first mentioned "God's will," which is God's plan to save the world. God's will cannot be discerned by our brain, but only truly understood through " all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, "which requires the revelation and guidance of the Holy Spirit. (1:9)

After knowing God's will, we will know the purpose of doing good deeds is for "whom." The purpose of the world's good deeds is often for oneself, hoping that the merit can be returned to oneself or future generations. But Christians are "bearing fruit in every good work" for the purpose of "pleasing the Lord in every way." When our priorities are right, we will "grow in the knowledge of God" and discover more of the mysteries of God's will. (1:10)

We not only need to know God's will but also experience God's glorious power. In order to make people believe the gospel, God's power may be manifested in miracles of healing and casting out demons. But for believers, God's power often manifests in the improvement of the quality of life, as mentioned in Paul's prayer, where he prayed that Christians could be "strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy." (1:11, NIV)

In many difficulties, we may expect miracles to happen. Of course, God can do this, especially for unbelievers. But for us who follow Jesus, what God cares more about is whether our lives can endure the unendurable and spills over into joy.

Sometimes we may envy other brothers and sisters for why they can personally experience miracles from God, while I have not. But in God's eyes, what is more important is what kind of fruit our lives bear, rather than what miracles we have experienced.

God knows what lessons we need to learn at different stages of our lives. We must believe that since the moment we decided to follow Jesus, God's glorious power has been governing our lives. He knows what is best for us, and everything He does for us is right. God is very pleased that we have such faith!

Reading the Bible | https://www.bible.com/bible/59/COL.1.ESV