EPAPHRAS – A MAN OF PRAYER

By: Rev. Arnel Tan

“Epaphras, from your city, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident of the whole will of God. “ Colossians 4:12 NLT

While most servants of God race and rush to the lime light, this man Epaphras stayed in communion with the Light of the world. Yes he preachers, but more than anything else he prays. He really prays! He never called himself a man of prayer, he simply prayed. Like the Master his prayer life did not go unnoticed from the eyes and admiration of his colleagues. Paul, testifies of him as a man who agonizes in prayer.

Anyone who desires the ministry of prayer must fast from the praise of men and to be totally confident only in the approval of God. Prayer in the life of Epaphras is so modeled in grace that he need not pressure people to be like him. By his testimony and commitment to pray God stirred hearts to desire to be men and women of prayer. Oh how we need more men and women of prayer in the church today, who like Epaphras will not pressure or make people guilty but would wholly pour out his heart in prayer.

Compare to our long litany of spiritual insights and our subtle ways attempting to “change” other people praying for them proves to be a million times better and a million times God honoring. In prayer all attempts to transform others stops, to give way for God to do the reviving, changing and awakening. One salient point to remember is Epaphras modeled prayer in grace not using prayer as a pressure for others to tow the line. It is God who stirs hunger for prayer in the hearts of His people not our long sermon on prayer.

Finally, to desire to be a man or woman of prayer is to relinquish tendencies to subject others to our dictates. Prayer is rest and release when everything is truly surrendered in the Sovereign hands of God. Actually in prayer the Lord makes us realize that we are not in control, and the real blessing of all is that the Lord takes away the desire to be in control! May the Lord stir in us deep hunger for prayer!