Prayer for a new season of growth
By Rachel Ujo
Bible Reading:
“Stretch your roots into him and build your life into him. And your faith will become stronger with the truths you have taught you, and you will be overflowing with gratitude.” -Col. 2:7, NLT
As the temperature warms, the scent of the first rain of spring fills my lungs with hope. Perhaps you are living in anticipation of a fresh breath of life. My prayer life seems to have felt the same impulse. “Lord, I want to see the evidence of the work you are doing!” I think you know what I mean. Maybe you live in the dark seasons or have walked through a set of tough situations. But just a glimpse of the greenery is everything you want to admire spiritually. “God, if I could peer into new growth, I would be God.”
In Colossians 2:7, Paul gave the Colisian Church a word of encouragement in this regard. In the new living translation, Colossians 2:7, let your roots grow into him and build your life on him. Then your faith will become stronger with the truths you have been taught, and you will be overflowing with gratitude. When he wrote the Colossians to them, he suffered and longed for them to knit together in a strong bond of love. He knew that the community was important to their faith. They needed each other. But he didn’t leave it as is. Then he said, “Your roots have grown into him.” What if we pray: Lord, deepen my roots this season.
We long for those green leaves in our lives and the signs that God is running through fresh fruits, but fruits do not develop without roots. The deeper the roots, the more lush the plants. The same applies to our hearts rooted in Christ. Paul reminds us that shallow roots do not hold much fruit. Plants with shallow roots may quickly grow fruits, but the season is shorter without relying on Jesus’ deep and deep love. In his letter to the Ephesians he said it:
“Then Christ will make his house in your heart so that you trust him; your roots will grow into the love of God, and will keep you strong” (Ephesians 3:17, NLT).
As you know, learning to trust God every day is a path to a deeper root. And deeper roots? They bring greenery. Green is good, isn’t it? Then Paul said, “And let me build your life on him,” so I pause in this section of the poem for prayer. Father, give you fresh ideas to build my life.
Building deep roots requires intentionality. Unfortunately, we live in such a distracting world, and it is his job to kill, steal and destroy his enemies. If you want to see fresh growth and new life, you need to aim to hone and own the growing process. Below are some ideas that will inspire fresh ways to focus your life on Christ.
Read a Bible book you’ve never read before. I text my prayer partner every day. Grab a new prayer and read it on the Parent Pickup Line (or anywhere!)!
Lord, grow my ability to know and maintain the truth. “Then your faith will become stronger in the truths you have been taught.” Paul knew that the Colissian Church had heard the truth of the gospel. But he wanted them to have strong faith. It is something that will not wither in the first dry spell. He longed for them to have faith with deep roots that could withstand the storm.
Sometimes I’m like the dolly of finding nemo. I am suffering from short-term mental memory loss. If God said it, we must remember that it cannot change. So when I hear a fresh truth through friends, sermons, or social media posts, I pause, pray, and ask God to help me remember it.
Thank you, God, for your heart full of gratitude. “And you’re overflowing with gratitude.” Thanksgiving promotes growth so that you can’t do anything else. It is fertilizer for beautiful life gardens. A little after Paul’s letter to the Colosian Church, he says, “I am dedicated to prayer, and I am carefully grateful” (Colossians 4:2). When we know God’s promises and deliberately remember them, they serve as living water words that refresh and activate, providing deep roots that promote new growth. Would you pray with me Colossians 2:7?
Let’s pray:
Lord, deepen my roots this season. I long for it to be nothing more than a life based on your love. Give me fresh ideas to act as a fertilizer for solid growth. Remember your principles and maintain your promises in my heart. May they flow through me into my children’s lives. Jesus, thank you for your love. I don’t know where I am without it. Make me your love channel so that my kids can see you more clearly. Fill my heart with fresh gratitude this season. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/LovelyDay12
Rachel Wojo is an author, public speaker and podcaster who hosts Bible reading assignments on the popular blog rachelwojo.com. Her biblical approach and living environment influence women find strength and hope in everyday situations. Rachel’s journey is an ideal, hopeless prayer that sheds light on asking God’s questions. Rachel’s journey includes losing her mother to leukemia, a daughter of her adult special needs, a rare neurologically degenerative disease, and her father suffers from illness. She is the author of hopeless prayer. It is to embrace the power of prayer in the darkest moments of life. Mostly, Rachel is in love with six on Earth and two in heaven for Matt.
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