Wrestling For Others

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured– Colossians 4:12 (NIV)

Have you every wrestled with a zipper and chipped a nail?  Have you ever wrestled with a package to open, causing your arm to slip, and your elbow to bang against a wall or your finger to suffer a box cut?  Have you ever wrestled in prayer for yourself?  Jacob did in Genesis 32:24 and his hip was dislocated, causing him to walk with a limp for the remainder of his life.

The point is this - wrestling can be a dangerous activity, and most people who engage in it only do so when the reward outweighs any possible injuries sustained by it.  Now what if the reward you’re wrestling for isn’t for you but for someone else?  Would you still be inclined to wrestle wholeheartedly?  Would you be inclined to chip a nail to see someone else in that wonderful outfit, sustain a bruised elbow or finger to help someone else open their package or walk with limp for the rest of your life to see someone else gain favor with God?

This is exactly what Epaphras is doing in Colossians 4:12.  He is wrestling in prayer for other believers – not for himself.  Today, let us consider others, and pray aggressively and wholeheartedly for someone else.