Orthodoxy Before Orthopraxy
As we step out of Colossians chapter 1 and move into chapter 2, we have to remember the golden rule of how we are unpacking this letter: Orthodoxy before Orthopraxy. Right belief always precedes right practice. Right thinking leads to right behavior.
If we don’t understand that Jesus Christ is preeminent—that He is Lord of all, not just Lord of Sunday—our daily practice will always be out of alignment. Paul is writing from a prison cell to a group of believers he has never even met face-to-face. Yet, because his orthodoxy is locked in on the sufficiency of Jesus, his orthopraxy results in a fierce, passionate love for the church.
The Agony of Intercessory Prayer
In Colossians 2:1, Paul writes, “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you…” When Paul uses the word “struggle” (from the Greek word agon, where we get our word agony), he is using an intense, athletic term. He is painting a picture of someone who is agonizing in prayer. The truth is, the Bible often shows prayer not as some quiet, religious habit, but as a fierce spiritual battle.
Paul is engaging in intercessory prayer—placing himself before God on behalf of someone else. He is standing in the gap for people he has never even met. It begs a tough question for us today: When was the last time we agonized and fought in prayer for the people living right under our own roofs?
Three Ways to Fight for Your Family
We shouldn’t wait for a crisis, a terrifying medical diagnosis, or a total breakdown to start praying fervently. We need to stand in the gap every single day. As you pray for your family, your co-workers, and your community, ask God for these three specific things:
1. Protection Don’t just pray that God keeps your family “safe.” God rarely calls us to the easy, safe route; He usually calls us to the harder path that requires total dependence on Him. Instead, pray that God guards their hearts and their minds. Pray that they don’t just find worldly “success,” but that they become people of true value wherever they go.
2. Direction Pray passionately every day that God leads them directly into His will. Our plans for our kids, our spouses, or our friends might not be God’s plan. Ask the Lord to place them exactly where He needs them to be—because wherever God places them, there is always “one more” who needs to hear the truth of Jesus.
3. Transformation Let’s be real: we cannot change anybody’s heart. We can guide, we can lead, and we can counsel, but we cannot save a soul or restore a broken relationship on our own. Pray every day that God will bring the kind of transformation that only He can bring.
Weeping Between the Porch and the Altar
When a church actually prays like this—when a church fights for one another—incredible things happen. Paul tells us in Colossians 2:2-5 that hearts are encouraged, the church is knit together in love, and believers stand firm like soldiers in a solid formation.
In the book of Joel, the prophet cries out to the priests, asking how long it has been since they wept between the porch and the altar for the people. Let that be a challenge to us this week. When was the last time you cried out to God for someone’s salvation? For a struggling marriage? For someone battling addiction or anxiety?
We are fiercely passionate about the people we love. Let’s make sure we are fighting for them where it actually counts: on our knees.
Lord,
Forgive me for treating prayer as a casual religious habit instead of the spiritual battle it truly is. I don’t want to wait for a crisis to start standing in the gap for the people I love. Today, I lift up my family, my church, and my community to You. I ask for Your fierce protection over their hearts and minds. I ask for Your clear direction, that You would place them exactly where You want them. And I ask for total transformation—do the work that only You can do. Knit us together in love, and give us a firm, unshakable faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Amen.
Who is the “one more” you need to stand in the gap for this week? Is it a wayward child, a co-worker, or a friend struggling in their marriage? Commit to agonizing in prayer for them today. If you need someone to stand in the gap with you, please reach out or leave a comment below. We want to pray with you because, at ONE Church, No ONE Walks Alone.
